


Highway to Hell

by TheMondayChild



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-30 02:22:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 48,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6404800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMondayChild/pseuds/TheMondayChild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kagome comes home from an average day at school to a shocking scene. Her life is torn apart and the one responsible wants to take her on a road trip and "get to know" her. Will he drive her across the country or just drive her crazy?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Never Saw It Coming

**Author's Note:**

> Note: So I've never posted more than one ongoing story at the same time, but I'm like reallyreallyreally bored and writing has become my only hobby. I had to put off transferring schools until January due to family junk, and school has always been my THING, like my only THING that I do, so now all I have is this. I can't even work right now since I have several relatives who need my help (which is a combination of full-time nursing and maid duties) and I have my mom's hoarder house I have to clean out without her noticing so it can sell. CRAZY STUFF. Since that is the case, I decided "fuck it", and now I'm just gonna upload shit that's not even finished yet, which means you're getting a whoooooole lotta stuff coming your way sometime soon. I'll work out an update schedule and everything. I'm getting stir crazy and it's only been three months since my life has changed to this degree. Stir crazy Chelsea is an almost literally crazy Chelsea. Observe how she acts out of character and refers to herself in the third person. Not cool. Please review.

The last bell of the day rang and Kagome bit her lip to hold her smile in, her eyes connecting with the back of her boyfriend's head from where it was at the front of the class. Hojo, head and shoulders above every other boy, was still conversing with their teacher, as he usually did. He always went above and beyond when it came to academics. Even Kagome couldn't bring herself to pretend to be friends with their teachers, and she had been teased for being a teacher's pet for the entirety of her academic career. Mr. Hoshoku laughed loudly and clapped Hojo on the shoulder, squeezing before letting go.

Everybody liked Hojo, teachers especially. He was hardworking, responsible, attractive, trustworthy, bright, and… That was about it. Everything Kagome had ever dreamed of existing in a man, and he was all hers. Today, he had promised to take her out to a special celebratory dinner immediately after school. He had just gotten into Oshiri University (where he would major in Marine Biology) and was going to be graduating high school with honors next week at the ceremony. Kagome, whose grades were as good or even better than his, couldn't have been more proud. Sighing happily, she slipped her binder into her backpack, her mind on what she was going to wear to the undoubtedly expensive restaurant which he had not yet named, insisting it just had to be a surprise.

Kagome knew for certain he was going to finally propose tonight.

"You ready?" Hojo asked in his soft voice, looking at her from the head of the classroom.

She nodded, flipping her wavy hair over her shoulder as she rose to her feet, so overwhelmed by the brightness of their future that she was having trouble being herself, becoming only some simpering, awkward caricature of a schoolgirl in love with her high school sweetheart who would soon become her husband. The happiness that lived inside her would hardly even let her speak coherently. And that was all fine. They were finally going to be adults.

He held out his hand to her as she neared him and she grasped it, once again noticing just how soft and cold and somewhat damp his hands were. It had somewhat grossed her out in the beginning, but gradually she had gotten used to it and even preferred it. Rough hands meant a rough life, and she would rather do without the complications that came along with such things. Being on the water polo team, the rest of him was just as smooth, and the consistently smooth feeling of his skin comforted her as well as reminded her to never skip a day of shaving.

"Kagome!" came a trio of high-pitched voices from just outside the classroom.

"You took sooooo long! We were almost going to give up on you," Eri said, feigning disapproval but not able to hide the longing, envious light in her eyes when she glimpsed the couple's clasped hands.

Hojo laughed. "My apologies, ladies! I lost track of time when speaking with Mr. Hoshoku and you know Kagome always waits for me," he said, smiling down at her fondly.

"Just like Argos!" Ayumi piped up.

Kagome's beaming smile full of her perfect teeth faltered, not liking being compared to a dog, but she let it go. Ayumi didn't mean any harm, she just sometimes didn't really think about what she said before it left her lips. Occasionally, Kagome wanted to strangle her without really thinking about it, but there were witnesses milling about, so such things would be entirely impractical.

"I told you guys you didn't have to wait for me! We're going out to dinner as soon as Hojo takes me home to change," she reminded them, a chiding note in her voice. All the time they spent talking about nothing was time she had to wait to be presented with a giant diamond ring that would cost more than an entire town in Guatemala, labor included.

"About that…" Hojo started, taking both her hands in his and drawing her a bit away from her friends. "Something came up and I can't make it tonight. We'll reschedule, yeah?"

Stuffing her crushing disappointment away for later when she could feel all her feelings in private, Kagome just forced herself to smile at him. "Sure! What happened?"

"Just last minute college stuff," he insufficiently explained, taking his hand from hers and waving it dismissively.

"Alright," she nodded, trying to keep from grinding her teeth. "So, I'll see you tomorrow, I guess…"

"Definitely!" he said enthusiastically, doing that weird bobble-head nod thing he sometimes did that used to annoy her but definitely, totally, really didn't anymore. She thought she felt her tooth chip and ran her tongue over it just to make sure it was intact. Why didn't they make invisible mouth guards to wear all the time?!

"Bye!" she said, not able to think of anything else to say that wasn't a Very Bad Word.

Standing up on her tiptoes, she gave him a light kiss on the lips that he did not return. Hojo didn't appreciate public displays of affection and had told her multiple times that intimate things were for when they were alone together, but they hadn't been alone since last summer in his car at the drive-in, and all they had done then was kiss for three hours, his hands never once leaving the middle of her back. Just thinking about it made her face hurt.

Hojo ran off, waving to her as he did so, and was soon replaced by her friends.

"Did he stand you up _again_?" Yuka asked, her brows drawn in worry, disapproval thick in her voice.

Kagome sighed, not wanting to be lectured yet again. Whenever Hojo had something else to do and had to cancel their dates, she tried her hardest to keep her friends from knowing. They always thought the problem was her, that she just wasn't trying anymore, that she had grown too comfortable in the relationship and he was losing interest. But that wasn't true! Everything she did she did because she had him to do it for…or something. Her brain wasn't in the best place, what with the rage humming in her blood. All her friends were worried about was losing their popularity. Well, to be honest, they were only popular because she associated with them, which, in her book, meant they weren't actually popular. Maybe popular in the second degree, but not like her and Hojo who were at the top of the hierarchy. No, she worked _hard_ to become the girl she was, harder than they could comprehend. Hell, she had listened to Hojo talk about dolphins for years, his only interest, and went with him to the aquarium every goddamn weekend. They went whale watching bi-monthly just for the possibility of dolphins deciding to swim alongside the boat, and she put up with it even though she got terribly seasick and even Dramamine didn't help much. Anyone who could manage to bear that deserved all the good they got.

Putting on her not-a-care-in-the-fucking-world face, Kagome laughed, unknowingly waving her hand dismissively as Hojo had done to her just seconds before. "Oh, no, nothing like that. He's just really busy right now with college and everything. You know how it is."

"I remember when you used to stand him up, not the other way around," Eri said, her eyes on Kagome's mid-section. "Are you sure you're not making yourself, er, _too_ available?"

Not able to hold back her scowl, Kagome tried to make her voice as pleasant as possible to make up for it. If only _that_ was the problem. Teenage pregnancy would be a relief. At least then she'd actually be able to spend time with him.

Smile still plastered on her face, she responded, "Well, we're not in eighth grade anymore. Things have changed and we're both very busy these days."

"I think it's romantic how long you've managed to stay together so long considering you pretty much only see each other in class," Ayumi said dreamily, probably fantasizing about Hojo right that very second. All the girls wanted him, and Kagome was very prepared to fight them all off. She didn't watch Flipper eighteen times for nothing.

"And I think it's _very_ romantic how you've put your studies before boys all these years," Kagome said sweetly. "You're like Heloise, but I'm sure your Abelard will leave you to peacefully drown in your books since touching you would require communication and God knows that's not one of your many skills."

Before her friends could puzzle out what she said, Kagome turned tail and practically skipped towards the exit, pushing her way out the double doors and into the bright sunlight, wishing she could rip the sun from the sky and set the entire world on fire with it. All she wanted to do was go home and ask her mother to make chocolate chip cookies with extra chocolate. She'd eat an entire plate in her bed while watching cartoons, maybe follow up with some ice cream and perhaps more cartoons, and then she'd go to sleep without brushing her teeth. It was something she only did when particularly distressed.

The walk home was long and did nothing to better her mood. Hojo usually gave her a ride, and when she was in the car it always seemed like she lived practically next door to her high school, but three miles in unseasonably hot weather was taking its toll on her. Normally, she'd put her hair up, but the curtain of waves was the only thing protected her skin from being burnt or freckled. The smell of the sweat between her breasts wafted up and she wrinkled her nose. She was going to stink up the house and get boob acne, the worst kind of acne. Now she'd have to have a bowl of chips and dip and a few sodas in addition to her cookies. She'd take a jog and do crunches for eight hours straight to make up for it.

Kicking open the large front door after she unlocked it, Kagome slammed it behind her, reveling in the slight bit of misbehaving. When the loud echo didn't immediately summon her mother, she ran up the stairs, trying to hold back her tears. A nice, long talk, a bath, and then the food. That was what she needed. She opened the door to her parent's room and walked into their private sanctuary, only to see her beautiful mother rubbing some stranger's shoulders as her very masculine father tongued his balls.

What. The. Fuck.

Kagome just stood there in shock, looking on at the scene she still couldn't quite make herself believe was happening. Her parents, who had always seemed so thoroughly in love, absorbed in and obsessed with one another, were _swingers_?!

It was something she had never told anyone, not ever expecting them to understand, but she didn't know her parents very well. They were just two space cadets wrapped up in orbiting each other. Kagome felt more like a pet than a daughter. And not a fun pet, either. She was like a fish. They fed her, make sure her tank was clean and working, and sometimes even stared at her, but that was about it. They never even tapped on the glass. Her entire childhood had been spent with various nannies and babysitters, none of them staying very long due to her parents' rigorous standards, and yes, she had been a spoiled brat longing for any kind of attention, even the negative kind. It had never worked.

Still, her father giving a man a blowjob as her mother gave the stranger a massage just seemed very out of character. Somehow, the man looked familiar, but she could not quite place him. Kagome shook her head, the tears she had been holding back finally escaping and running down her face, wondering how she was supposed to react to this rather surprising revelation. Was that why her parents were always gone here and there, telling her that her father was going away on business and wanted her mother to accompany him when really they were just going to crazy swinger party orgies? Was that how they kept the spark alive? Was that why Hojo—

The stranger looked up at her with golden eyes, a sneer on his face. "What the fuck is that?"

Izayoi looked up. "Oh, that's just Kagome. I was feeling that seven hundred year itch a while back and I cashed in on that free pass Toga gave me."

The stranger removed himself from the group and was in front of her in an instant, his hand holding her chin and tipping her face up. A cold sweat covered her body and she felt herself begin to tremble slightly, not enough to make a noticeable difference. The stranger seemed to notice, though, and he loosened his grip on her chin just the slightest bit. For some reason, the only thing she could comprehend in that moment was that his hands were riddled with callouses yet still managed to be warm.

"How old is it?"

Although offended by him referring to her as an object not just once but twice in the few seconds they had been acquainted, Kagome just continued to stand still, minus the uncontrollable trembling. She wanted to scream and push him away, but she was pretty sure she just had the shock of her life and she was going to vomit and if she did anything to increase her heart rate, she would certainly die, which would just further her embarrassment.

Toga wiped his mouth and sat on the bed next to his wife. "Seventeen, I think."

The stranger smiled at her, revealing his fangs, the dog ears on top of his head flicking in interest. "Sweet seventeen, huh?" When she didn't respond, his smile faded, and he peered at her as though she were a statue instead of a girl on the verge of hyperventilating her way into the afterlife. "Where'd you get those eyes, little girl? I've never seen such a dark blue before."

Izayoi tied her robe securely and laid her head on her mate and husband's shoulder. "Her father was truly an Adonis, quite rare. We had quite the time together."

The man let go of her chin, the feeling of his touch lingering, and turned back to her parents. "So she's completely human?"

Her parents nodded in unison, already back to paying more attention to each other than to anything else in the room or the world.

Finally finding her voice, Kagome choked out, "W-who are you and what is going on?!" She never did like being the last to know something. It made her feel stupid rather than just plain old ignorant.

Izayoi smiled brightly. "That's your big brother, baby bunch! Inuyasha hasn't been home in 250 years."

"…Brother?" she breathed, her eyes darting back to the naked man, who, once he realized her eyes were on him, smirked and posed proudly, hands on his hips, manhood on display. Kagome shivered in disgust.

Toga frowned briefly. "Not really. Inuyasha is a half-demon, true, but only full siblings are viewed as siblings in demon culture."

Kagome didn't hear Toga over the pounding over her heart. Her mother had told her a lot about Inuyasha. Her parents had only had one child together, and even though Toga wasn't biologically her father, he had always been there and she had always felt like his daughter. But all that information just made what she had walked in on that much worse. Was this just a demon thing she didn't know about, or was her family one of _those_ families, and if so, why didn't they live in a cabin in the mountains in West Virginia with nineteen other family members? Her stomach hurt with the knowledge and her ears began to ring.

Inuyasha turned to her parents. "I'm keeping her."

Again, the blissfully happy and eternally twenty-something couple nodded as one.

Izayoi generously managed to find the will to tear her gaze away from her husband's and looked back at her, beaming cheerfully. "I'm baking pizza for dinner, baby cakes! What kind of toppings do you want?"

And with that, Kagome fainted.


	2. Up a Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have a social media page of mine linked up to my ED profile purely so people can see a little personal extra "about the author" type thing, but recently someone started repeatedly messaging me half in English and half in what looks like Tagalog asking to write stories together. Please don't do that. My blocked list is long enough. And I don't accept friend requests.

Instinctively knowing it was hours later without even opening her eyes, Kagome shifted, turning her face into the pillow and nuzzling the soft cloth, breathing in the scent of her favorite fabric softener, the expensive lavender one she always snuck into the cart when going shopping with her mother. She let out a soft moan and tried to burrow further into the blankets, wanting nothing more than to curl up and just sleep until graduation and maybe even a bit longer. She'd finally managed to have the most perfect dream. Someone was kissing her softly, not the childish way Hojo usually did, but with passion, with promise. His hands had explored under her clothes, which she'd never felt before, and Kagome really wanted to get back to that and take it a little further. Groaning, she wrinkled her nose. Something seemed to be moving on her face. Ants? No, her hair was in the way. But why was it moving? Opening her eyes, she found herself face to face with the man from before. Inuyasha.

"Hey," he said quietly, brushing her hair away from her cheek. His strikingly golden eyes darted here and there, exploring her features, studying her.

Kagome screamed.

"What the fuck, bitch, pipe down!" he shouted, glaring at her.

Scooting back as far as she could without falling off the bed, she shrieked, "Get out of my room, you fucking animal!" Now she knew with a certainty he had been molesting her in her sleep. Kagome rarely had sexy dreams and she had experienced one just the night before, so it was easy to deduce that he had been touching her and infiltrating her dreams with his disgusting actions.

He just stretched, taking up some of the space she had vacated. "Nope."

"Why the hell are you still naked?!" she cried out, more distressed than she could ever remember being. There was absolutely no desire in her to look at his _thing_ , even for educational purposes, but it was just so very present, like a third party. Looking down at herself, she realized that she still had her school uniform on, and she nearly cried in relief, at the last second managing to retain what was hopefully a stern and angry expression. "And I still don't know what's going on!"

Mouth turned down in a frown, he stood up and wrapped her sheet around him, flashing her his firm glutes, the likes of which she had only seen in books on Greek art, before turning back around.

"What do you wanna know before we get going?"

Looking anywhere but at him, now nervous since he actually seemed to be paying attention to her and listening, which was an almost non-existent experience in her life, she replied, "Uh, w-what were you doing? Back there…"

Inuyasha laughed, the sound hoarse and filled with far too much enjoyment at her expense. "Are you a virgin? 'Cause what was happening back there should have been pretty fuckin' obvious."

Pushed beyond her ability to force calm, Kagome decided that he was the perfect target to take her rage out upon, and she slapped him. "I know what you were doing, idiot, but _why_?! Mom and Dad were… They were…"

Rolling his eyes, apparently not phased in the least by her physical abuse, he said, "It might seem creepy to a human, but that's just how the dominant demon is received in an area."

"But Mom's human!" she protested, her hands beginning to shake as she remembered the scene that was the perfect cherry on top to the stress sundae that had been building inside her for years. "She's just mated to a demon!"

Again, he rolled his eyes, and she wished she had the proper upper body strength so she could really hurt him. "Yeah, but when they made their vows, she promised to abide by all dog demon ways, so she has to."

Feeling like she was about to short-circuit, Kagome gave up on trying to understand. "I don't even know what's going on," she grumbled, mostly to herself. "Who are you, anyway?"

Sighing in exasperation, he sat down on the bed. "I'm Inuyasha, the son of Toga and Izayoi. We went over this, remember? Mother introduced me as your brother, but that's not exactly true. Demons only consider full siblings to be siblings. It's a blood thing. My father's blood is more dominant in me than Mother's is. We are only siblings on my human night." She stared at him owlishly in the room lit only by the street lights from outside, trying to absorb all that he was telling her. "I'm surprised Toga hasn't told you anything about our culture. But you're not really his, so I guess it's understandable," he said off-handedly.

A memory came to her, prompted by his careless and inconsiderate words. Kagome had been very young, not yet old enough to go to school. Toga and Izayoi had just come home from a month-long trip to Budapest which they had not even briefly considered taking her on. She had been so excited at their return that she'd snuck out of bed to go greet them even though it was very late and her nanny had explicitly warned her not to. Carefully, being as stealthy as a toddler could, she crept down the stairs, as eager to see them as she was to jump up and possibly startle them. They were the only people she couldn't scare like that. When she had finally managed to go down the stairs without a peep, she spied Toga kissing Izayoi, something he did a lot, and, forgetting about her plan to jump out at them, Kagome had hurled herself at his legs, the depth of her happiness at having them back something that she could barely contain in her tiny body.

"Missed you, Daddy!" she squealed, her language skills not yet fully developed. To make up for what she knew was not an eloquent welcoming, she hugged him harder.

Grunting impatiently, Toga had deftly separated her from him while Izayoi giggled and looked on. Confused, Kagome tried to cling to him harder, wondering if this was some sort of game. If it was, she lost no sooner than she began to play.

Patting her head, he said, not unkindly, "I am not your father. Please do not refer to me as such in the future."

And then he went right back to smooching his wife, leaving her to run back upstairs much more noisily than she had descended them. Never had she cried so hard in her life as she did in her bed that night.

Bits of the old pain coming back to her, Kagome hurled her waste basket at Inuyasha's head, angry at him for pushing nearly all her buttons after only just meeting her.

"He _is_ my father!" she yelled. "My only father! Now who the fuck are you?!"

Rubbing the side of his head where she had barely grazed him, he replied irritably, "What did I just say?! I am the son of Iza—"

"No, I know that, but why do you look so familiar?" she questioned wonderingly, anger temporarily abated by the itch of curiosity. It was more than just his resemblance to Toga, which was now obvious. She had certainly seen him somewhere before. "We don't have any pictures of you or anything."

He smirked. "Maybe you've seen me in your dreams?"

"Don't even start, you disgusting thing," she spat back, a blush rising on her face as she remembered what she had been dreaming about. An odd desire to lick her lips and see if she could taste him there appeared in her and she clenched her fists.

"Ugh, fine. Ever hear of Taisho Productions?"

"Yeah…" Of course she had. Everybody had.

"You've seen the movies," he stated. "Every kid has."

She nodded. The cartoons she had been planning on watching earlier were all Taisho cartoons. "Uh huh, they're my favorite, but what—" Kagome interrupted herself with a gasp. "You're the _guy_! The guy in charge!"

Inuyasha nodded proudly. "Yup. Can't believe it's only been a hundred years since I first developed Tricky the Trilobite. I also can't believe you didn't make the connection between us or the name," he finished, disbelief in his voice flavored with a bit of a condescending attitude.

Deciding to ignore his tone, she shrugged. "I like the movies, but I don't particularly care who's behind them. I just thought it was kind of neat that my last name was Taisho. It made me super popular in elementary school."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, clueless girl." Before she could respond, he continued, "So, you ever been to Taisho Land?"

"No," she muttered. Kagome had always wanted to go, though. The rides, the shows, the food. All her friends had been at least once and always came back loaded with stuff and stories that made her incredibly jealous. For all the trips Toga and Izayoi took, they had never once invited her along or even asked if she wanted to go anywhere. Sometimes, she wondered if they traveled just to get away from her.

"Well, we're going," he said, rolling off the bed and to his feet, conveniently forgetting the sheet. "Pack your stuff."

"W-what?" she sputtered. _It_ was there again and seemed to be looking right at her with its single eye, wagging its head at her reproachfully for her lack of eloquence.

"Remember when I said I was going to keep you?"

"But you can't do that!" she protested, waving her arms wildly like a mute Italian on fire. "That's kidnapping, and you've already sexually assaulted me, so that's just one crime on top of another!"

"I have Mother and Father's permission. Now pack your stuff, I wanna leave within the hour."

"But I have school! It's the last week and we have all sorts of tests and I'm still waiting for my acceptance letter to see whether or not I got into my dream school and—"

Without her even seeing him move, he was suddenly leaning over her, backing her up against the wall, one hand pressed against it and his naked body against her clothed one. Dimly, she realized she had never been quite this close to a boy before. Sure, she had made out with Hojo quite a few times, but even when their lips were plastered together, it had never felt this intimate, this dangerous.

"You'd rather do a bunch of stupid shit like that when I'm offering you a whole new life, one where you don't have to care about anything you don't want to care about?" he murmured, his eyes capturing hers with their supernatural glow. "I'm offering you myself, something any woman would kill for. Some even have."

Belatedly, her tongue darted out to lick her lips, noticing with not a small amount of satisfaction how his eyes followed the movement. His flavor was there, right there where she hadn't allowed it. It was crazy, but she swore she could taste him. Maybe she was just imagining it? But that small bit of foreignness tingled upon her tongue, and suddenly, probably from nearly dying of heat stroke and maybe even the beginnings of a break down, she wanted him to kiss her again. It was almost unbearable, the sudden connection she felt that she was sure he had been feeling too. But it wasn't something that couldn't be fought. Reminding herself of Hojo, she forced her way back to reality from her hypnotized state and did the first thing she could think of, which, unfortunately for him, was to knee him in the groin, getting a direct hit against Mr. One Eye's two fuzzy friends. Inuyasha fell to his knees, his hands covering _it_ and company.

"I have a boyfriend, you sick incestuous pedophile pervert!" she screamed in righteous fury, ignoring how her pulse thrummed not from adrenaline but from those mushy feelings she sometimes got down below when watching the male swimmers during the Olympics.

"Boyfriend?!" he croaked, looking more shocked than when she had assaulted him.

Kagome nodded vehemently, nose high in the air. "We've been together since eighth grade and he's the perfect man. Hojo is kind, thoughtful, sensitive, intelligent, sympathetic, romantic—"

"Is he the one in that picture over there with his arm around you?" he asked as he rose to his feet, apparently having already recovered.

She glanced to her left at the picture on her nightstand contained in a pink heart-shaped frame.

"Yes, that was just before the prom," she said, remembering how romantically he had fastened the beautiful corsage upon her wrist and how wonderfully he had danced and how nicely he had turned down the offer of her virginity in his car.

"And you guys haven't fucked yet, right?" he asked knowingly.

Kagome bristled at how quickly he had guessed. "He's saving himself for marriage, you crass idiot."

"But you aren't?" he said, moving closer to her, again almost a breath away. "You've offered to go further a few times, haven't you? You want it to happen."

A blush on her face, she stuttered, "I-I-I-I, uh, I respect Hojo's choices!"

Inuyasha nodded sagely and broke their eye contact. "The kid's a faggot."

Stunned, she gasped. "He is _not_ and don't say that word!"

"I can prove he's a faggot," he said nonchalantly, going back to sit on her bed. "Give me a few days. I'll have to cancel our flights, but I was thinking a road trip might be more fun, anyway. Give us a little more time to warm up to each other." A perverted grin made its way onto his face. "So what do you say?"

"What do I say to _what?_ " she asked with attitude. It was one thing to be all gross with her parents like that, another to be all gross with her like that, but it was pure sin to suggest she had been wasting her precious youth and beauty on a doomed relationship.

"If I prove your little boy here is a raging faggot, will you come back home with me?"

Kagome raised a brow, trying to appear more ice princess than snobby teenager and feeling like a failure. "I don't see how you can go throwing that word around when you just had a man licking your testicles." The image was burned into her mind for the rest of eternity and she wanted to curl up in the fetal position and cry.

"That's different," he said with an air of indifference. "That's just showing that I'm the dominant demon in the area, like I told you. I do that everywhere I go."

Kagome's mouth dropped open at that statement but she quickly closed it, not wanting him to get any ideas. "And when you're not the dominant demon in the area?" she asked shakily, wondering how many mouths and tongues had been on _it_ during his long life.

He smirked, something she was beginning to notice he did a lot. "Then I become it. There's no fucking way I'm sucking dick!" he said proudly.

"That's… That's just insane!" she cried, wondering how it was possible that they were related. Even though he had insisted they were not siblings, the idea was ridiculous and she refused to accept it, however much she wished they didn't share blood. "And there's no fucking way I'm even going near your thing, so put it away right now."

"Humans don't have to do it. Don't go all scaredy-cat virgin on me now, little girl." When she did nothing but glare at him, he said, "So, if I prove to you that your perfect human isn't what you think he is, will you come with me?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "No. I'm not going anywhere with you, you freak. And don't try and molest my boyfriend, dammit! And stay out of my dreams!"

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed dangerously, and for the first time she remembered that demons were stronger than humans and it would be very easy for him to inflict mortal damage on her.

"I'll prove it to you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I just make Inuyasha a Walt Disney? Yes. Yes, I did. I would really like to see what a Tricky Trilobite movie would be like.


	3. Don't Let it Show

A week had gone by. Kagome made sure to stay out of the house as much as she could, limiting her interactions with the half-demon to almost nothing but a glare here and there as they passed in the halls. He was an early riser, which surprised her. She had forced herself years ago to conform to a rigid schedule of getting up at five in the morning, going for a half-hour jog, showering, getting ready for school, and eating breakfast with an hour left before she had to be at her destination. She had assumed he'd be lazy and sleep in until noon or more, but it turned out he seemed to have similar habits, although why he insisted on such a schedule when he was on vacation and didn't have to do anything at all confused her. Hell, if she was as successful as he was and had his lifespan, she'd spend all day at home eating ice cream and watching Korean dramas and laughing at the very thought of poor people. But she wouldn't, because she had to stay fit for Hojo. Maybe then she could tempt him into breaking that promise he claimed he had made to himself at an early age to only have sex within the sacrament of marriage.

Kagome bounded into the shower and rinsed the sweat off with cold water. They were in love, weren't they? They had been together the longest out of anyone else they knew. And they never fought, not even once! She scrubbed her hair angrily. It hadn't bothered her this much until stupid Inuyasha had shown up and started questioning it. Yes, she had tried to seduce Hojo more times than she could remember, but he was deceptively strong-willed when it came to things like that. And if he _was_ gay, she would have seen the signs! He never checked out any of the other guys at school. He had only ever had eyes for her. Inuyasha was just being ridiculous, she reasoned, turning off the water. He just wanted her to fulfill some weird kink scenario and he'd say anything to get her to abandon her soulmate. Grabbing her fluffy pink towel from where she had thrown it over the top of the shower, she shoved open the glass door and proceeded to rub down her legs.

"Thought you'd like to know how Operation Gayfriend was progressing," Inuyasha said, a wide smile on his face from what he probably thought was an extremely clever name which in reality any twelve-year-old boy would have thought was stupid.

Kagome shrieked and backed up, but the lingering moisture on the bottom of the tub caused her to slip, and she flailed about in mortal fear for a split second until Inuyasha forcibly righted her.

"Clumsy girl," he chided, his hands on her shoulders and his eyes on her breasts.

Her naked breasts.

She didn't need to look down to know that her nipples were standing at attention. The invigorating cold shower always had that effect. Inuyasha had an evil smirk on his face and his eyes were lit up with a perverted glee. She had never felt more disgusted in her life, she told herself as she rubbed her thighs together.

"G-g-get out!" she stuttered, screamed, and sputtered.

His gaze never once leaving her breasts, even though she had since covered them with her arm as best as she could, Inuyasha backed out. Hand on the door knob, he said with a sly smirk on his face, "I've been hanging out and watching your boy, and he's been watching me too."

And then he left.

Kagome scowled at the closed door, wishing she had demon strength so she could break through it and claw Inuyasha's stupid smiling face off. But she was only human, so she continued to dry herself off, paying special attention to the extra wetness between her legs and ignoring her burning face, as acknowledging her embarrassment would only make her feel worse. Deciding to turn her mind to other things, she thought about what Inuyasha had said. Of course, he was just taunting her. He had to be! Hojo was too busy to develop an interest in anyone else, even if he was gay, which he totally wasn't. No, they were going to get married and grow old together and their entire life would be just as perfect as it was always supposed to be. He would give her a beautiful family and she'd spend the rest of her days trying to thank him for it.

The shower incident forced out of her mind, Kagome got dressed and dried her hair. She was finished with all her tests and knew instinctively that she had passed with flying colors. It was the last day of school, which meant signing yearbooks, pizza parties, and explaining to everybody once again why she did not want to walk in her graduation. As soon as she got her acceptance letter to Mellick, she was going to be on the next plane out there, finding a nearby apartment and adjusting to life. Sure, the letter was late in coming, but it would come. No more would she live in her parents' home and have to wear ear plugs in order to get some sleep. No more would she be forced to endure their neglect as well as their ignorance of their neglect. She was going to be free, and Hojo would be there for her, just not as close.

Which was exactly why she had to hook him now.

Unbuttoning one more button than she usually did on her school uniform, thinking nobody would say anything since they were basically done with high school, she put on a light layer of make-up as well. She'd prove to Inuyasha that Hojo wanted her. Rolling her skirt at the waist, she made it even shorter, just barely grazing her thighs. It was time to really take advantage of the slutty schoolgirl fetish every man on earth had. A thought occurring to her, she reached up her shirt from below and unhooked her bra, taking it out through a sleeve. Oh yeah, she was going all out. Throwing on a pair of heeled, patent leather Mary Janes that weren't approved by the school, she was ready to go.

She had promised her friends she'd ride with them today, so Yuka's car was the one waiting for her when she went outside. As she put her seat belt on, ignoring the mindless chattering and greetings of her friends, she glanced back up at the house, some force pulling her attention away. Inuyasha was there in her bedroom window, looking out at her with that same smirk on his face, the one he'd had when she'd been naked. Glaring at him, she mouthed "fuck you" and turned away, lamenting that from now on whenever he saw her he'd be remembering what she looked like in the nude.

"Kagome? Did you hear?"

"What?" she asked not too intelligently, mind still on the jerk that was invading her privacy as she spoke.

"Hojo's not coming in today. He's sick," Ayumi explained. Continuing dreamily, she said, "Are you going to nurse him back to health?"

"Uh… yeah," Kagome muttered. How had they known her boyfriend was sick before she did? Had Hojo called them instead of her? Telling herself that Hojo knew her schedule and the fact that she left her phone at home and did not check it until after school and had probably just told her friends knowing it would get back to her, Kagome settled back in her seat, mind more or less at ease. She was even able to pretend to be interested in the conversation her friends were having about their sexual escapades all throughout high school.

She wasn't jealous. She had love. She would be fine.

**O\o/O**

"I think I'm just going to leave early," Kagome mumbled to herself.

Her outfit had gotten her quite a few looks, even after she had pulled her skirt down to its customary length and buttoned her shirt back up. She couldn't do anything about the lack of a bra, though, and had even thought of asking one of her friends if they had a spare before realizing how completely ridiculous and desperate that sounded. So she just cut class and left, heart heavy, not a single yearbook signed. The walk home was difficult since she was wearing heels and it was too hot for her to take them off and go barefooted. She wished she had thought ahead and brought a spare pair of sneakers or something, anything.

There was a glint of silver in her window when she came back and she glared at it even more vehemently than she had glared at all of him just that morning. Kagome needed to take her frustrations out on something, and the half-demon jerkwad was the best candidate. She would scream at him so hard he'd develop PTSD and freak out at the mere mention of a teenage girl's room in the future. Bounding up the stairs, hands grabbing her boobs to keep them steady, she kicked open the slightly ajar door to her room, only to lower her hands from her breasts in shock at the scene before her.

There was Hojo, on his knees at the end of her bed, squealing like a pig as he sucked Inuyasha's dick while jerking himself off in his pants. Inuyasha's eyes connected with hers and there was that smirk, his eyes raking over her body, mentally undressing her. Meekly, she closed her door as quietly as she could and stumbled back downstairs. A part of her knew she was, once again, in shock. She couldn't seem to hear anything and that tunnel vision thing was beginning to develop. She was so, so hot, much hotter than she had been outside. Kagome needed air, needed coolness. Her hand scrambled to yank open the fridge door, feeling heavy. She was going to faint if she didn't do something soon, but what was there to do? Deep breaths. Stand still even though her knees were trembling like crazy. She had never really truly shaken before Inuyasha came, not uncontrollably.

"Hey, Kagome! Did you get a good look?" Inuyasha asked excitedly from somewhere behind her.

"Where is he?" she whispered, her throat tight and her muted voice high. All her dreams. All her dreams were dead. Hojo had been her ticket out, her ticket to a primetime family sitcom life, and now that was gone.

He moved to her side, into her line of vision, but she still refused to look at him, instead noticing the ants that had made their way inside the fridge only to become smooshed by the door. Gross. Her mother either needed to learn how to clean or to hire a maid that came more than once a week.

"He left like fifteen minutes ago."

How long had she been standing there? Kagome couldn't hold back her tears anymore and they fell in a rush, tumbling over each other to see who would be first to slide down her face and embarrass her in front of the person, the _monster,_ who had managed to ruin everything in such a short amount of time.

"Are-are-are you _crying_?!" Inuyasha asked in a voice both high and strained. His tone was a mixture of disgust and panic. "Aw shit, please don't cry, oh God, uh, were you hungry? Do you want a sandwich?"

The fridge wasn't even cold anymore. Inuyasha gently pushed past her and took an armful of jars and packages out of the fridge, shoving the door closed with the tip of his shoe. Kagome noticed in dulled amazement that he was making her favorite sandwich, ham and spaghetti sauce with pepperoncinis and muenster on sheepherder bread. How did he know what her favorite sandwich was when it was so odd? She began to cry harder. Hojo wouldn't know what her favorite sandwich was and they had been dating for half a decade. She remembered their first interaction, how he had complimented her on her shoes in math class. Maybe she should have seen this whole thing coming.

Inuyasha spread the spaghetti sauce faster on the bread, clumsily flicking some onto his face and layering the muenster on the sauce, sticking the thick slices of bread in the toaster oven and turning it on.

"Please don't cry, Kagome!" he pleaded. "Why are you crying, anyway? I showed you how he really was. I expected a thank you kiss at the very least."

That got her to look at him. "Why am I crying?!" she screamed. "Maybe because I just saw my boyfriend sucking my brother off when he and I have only kissed maybe a total of five times!"

"So? Now you're single. You're free. You're fucking _welcome!_ " he shouted back, slamming a hand on the kitchen counter and making her jump. "And I'm not your fucking brother unless I'm human. This came for you, by the way."

Kagome took the envelope from his hands shakily, knowing what it was before it was even close enough for her to read the writing printed on it. The only dream she had left. Mellick University, the one school she had wanted to go to ever since she discovered her passion for writing when she was in first grade. Everyone, from her parents to her guidance counselor to her teachers to her friends had assured her that she was going to get in, since she came from a wealthy family and had stellar grades and was active in a variety of extra-curricular activities. But she wasn't so confident, not where this dream was concerned.

"I guess you really didn't care about him if you were willing to go to school in another state, thousands of miles away from him," he pointed out in a drawl.

Eyes flashing, Kagome glared at him. "Shut up!" she retorted lamely. It was just too nerve-wracking a time to think of anything clever to say.

She was still thinking hard about the contents of the envelope, her heart pumping like mad. True, she had never had anything below a B in her life and her last B was in ninth grade, but she still felt nervous. Kagome had always wanted to be a writer, and all writers went to Mellick. It was extremely exclusive and small and located in the middle of a forest. People who weren't accepted didn't even know how to get there, that's how exclusive it was. Replaying all the encouragement she'd ever gotten, she blinked her tears away and opened the envelope, taking out the single sheet of paper and unfolding it before shakily letting it fall to the floor after reading the first few words.

"What's it say?" Inuyasha asked, eyes big and curious and so very much like an afternoon sun.

"I—I—" Kagome gasped, unable to form words.

"You what?"

"I… I didn't get in," she whispered. The tears came again, harder than before. Somehow, her arms were around Inuyasha and she was squeezing him as hard as she could, holding on like he was the only piece of driftwood in the stormiest of seas and she was the sole survivor of a shipwreck. It felt nice, surprisingly. He rubbed her back and made soothing sounds like her mother used to when she was little.

"It'll be alright, Kagome. Everything will be fine."

"I only applied to Mellick," she croaked out, desperately trying to hold back her sobs. "That's it. I've worked so hard for so long and-and-and—"

"It'll be okay, babygirl," he murmured into her hair. Kagome felt his nose twitch against her cheek and he jerked away from her and turned to the toaster oven. "Oh crap, it's fucking burning goddamncockshit _fuck_!"

Kagome barked out a laugh and wiped her eyes only to immediately have them moisten again, although not quite as quickly or as much as before. Inuyasha turned back to her, the look on his face comically apologetic.

"On the road trip," he continued, "we could stop by Mallard or whatever and I could kick some asses for you. Sound good?"

She laughed again. "And what else would we do on this road trip?"

He grinned wide enough to show his fangs, and it was big and genuine, making his face light up boyishly. "Anything you want! Name it and I'll make it happen. Concerts, restaurants, clubs, dumb tourist attractions—"

"Like Taisho Land?"

Inuyasha smirked. "We'll save that for last since it's all the way on the opposite side of the country."

Kagome frowned. "You keep acting like I'm going."

He rolled his eyes. "What else are you gonna do?" She flinched and he sighed. "Tell you what. How about you just stay with me this one summer? That's it. I'll make some calls or a donation or whatever and get you into that little college in the middle of buttfucking nowhere. After the summer's over, I'll send you off on your merry way with a semester's worth of allowance. How's that sound? Fair?"

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him. "Why do you want me to take this trip with you so badly? I'm not going to sleep with you. That's wrong."

"I can't want to get to know my mother's daughter?" he asked casually, turning his back to her and taking the burnt sandwich out of the toaster oven to dump it in the trash.

"You've been coming on to me this whole time!" Kagome asserted. "And don't think I've forgotten about your behavior. Molesting me in my sleep, walking in on me in the shower without even knocking. And that was _your_ dick in Hojo's mouth! I know you don't know how human stuff works, but that's a big deal and I think it was disgusting and absolutely terrible of you. And how'd you know what my favorite sandwich was, anyway?"

Inuyasha scowled. "You think I've been doing nothing since I arrived? Since you wouldn't let me get to know you, I had to ask around. Just think it over. You know what, just think of it as a paid internship. That's what it'll be on paper. I'll even give you a recommendation any time you want it."

Kagome hated him in that moment, the self-assured, confident look on his face, how he was just casually leaning back, elbows against the counter, his eyes boring into hers with an intensity only a demon could possess. He was rude, arrogant, and creepy as hell, but he had a point. An internship with Taisho Productions? Add to that getting into Mellick with a whole semester's allowance, which would almost certainly be inflated since he was unforgivably rich and most likely had no idea how the common folk lived. He hadn't said she'd have to sleep with him, and she most definitely never would. It all seemed way too good to be true, but he didn't seem like he was lying. Still, with the way he was looking at her, it felt like he had something up his sleeve.

Kagome shook her head. No, the guy was an idiot. A rude, loud, bumbling idiot. He was probably hoping she'd be so grateful that she'd cave sometime during the trip. What a moron.

Smiling tightly, she stuck out her hand. "You've got yourself a deal, Inuyasha."

When he smirked and closed his hand over hers in a caged caress, she shivered. It was like she was making a deal with the devil.


	4. Day by Day

Kagome loaded one of her five suitcases into the large trunk of the SUV, wondering why Inuyasha had chosen such a vehicle for a road trip. It certainly wasn't very fuel efficient and was also something that was made to transport a lot more than just two people. He had bought it, claiming he needed a new car anyway. It made even less sense considering that after just a couple of months, the car would be just his. It could seat seven, and he had repeatedly commented about how he was single and unattached and Kagome knew he wasn't the type to make and keep friends. Why'd he need such a big car?

"For all your fucking stuff!" Inuyasha commented bitterly, tossing in her heaviest suitcase. Had she spoken out loud? She flinched at the noise it made crashing onto the trunk.

"Uh, sorry? But I'm gonna need all of it."

"Did you have to take your entire bedroom?" he muttered, tossing in yet another bag.

"Yes!" she retorted. "If all goes well, I'm never coming back here, right?"

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I guess I should be grateful you didn't take the furniture."

"I'm going to have it shipped to my private dorm room along with the rest of my things," she explained, patiently rearranging her bags so their weight was evenly distributed.

"You're really serious about not coming back here, huh?" he commented, stopping to stare at her.

"You did the same," Kagome pointed out. "You haven't been home in more than two-hundred years. I'm not even going to live half that long!"

"And that bothers you," he stated more than asked.

She rolled her eyes and slammed the trunk closed. "I've had my entire life to come to terms with it, and I'm fine with being a normal human."

"Oh yeah, seventeen whole years to come to terms with such a crushing reality," he said sarcastically. "You never know. Some demon somewhere might take an interest in you and then you'll end up living for a thousand years or more."

Kagome snorted. "Not likely, especially considering my track record."

She glanced over to where the group they had been ignoring the entire time so far stood, huddled together and making her want to scream. Her friends were gossiping, her parents were hugging and whispering and giggling together, and Hojo had repeatedly begged Inuyasha to take him away on the trip instead of her. If even Hojo could spare a tear (true, it wasn't for her since he hadn't even looked at her or acknowledged her since the whole Inuyasha thing, but still), couldn't her parents? At least she was making Hojo jealous, she thought with a small amount of satisfaction. Even if he was jealous _of_ her, it was still something, and she'd take any victory she could get right now.

"Well, bye," she said in a monotone, waving half-heartedly at the odd group.

Her friends knew not to approach her. She had been in an extremely bad mood lately and was lashing out. She'd even gone so far as to yank Eri's headband out along with a few strands of her hair before slapping her with it, and all she had done was ask if Hojo was going to visit her at Mellick. A frightened air about them, the girls she had called friends for most of her life just waved back and huddled together, all wondering what was wrong with her and if it was permanent. Inuyasha put an arm around her and beamed at them, bringing her close to his side.

"Don't worry, girls, I'll take good care of her!" he said brightly and so unlike himself that she wanted to gag.

Ayumi immediately blushed and Yuka and Eri began to whisper quickly back and forth with smiles on their faces. Hojo let out a sob. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"I-I-Inuyashaaaaaaa!" whined Hojo, looking the worst she'd ever seen him. Snot was running from his nose and his eyes were swollen and red. "When will I see you again?"

"Hopefully never!" Inuyasha responded, his smile never faltering.

Kagome gaped at him and he just shrugged at her and walked to the car, getting into the driver's seat and closing the door.

"We'll miss you, babycakeys!" Izayoi called, fluttering her fingers in a wave. "Have fun on vacation!"

"Make sure Inuyasha doesn't speed until he gets out of the state," Toga instructed. "The highway patrol here are a bunch of overzealous asshats."

Kagome shook her head sadly and got into the car. She had explained numerous times to her parents, separately and together, that she was not going on vacation but totally seriously and for real never coming back. Apparently, her speeches hadn't stuck. She didn't know why she expected them to. They didn't even remember her birthday half the time. Pushing Hojo away from where he clung to the handle of her car door, she sat down and slammed the door before he could come in. Inuyasha, after glancing at her to see that she was all buckled up, began to back up, nearly running over her ex-boyfriend and her gossiping friends. Her parents had already gone back in the house, probably to fuck in her room and turn it into some weird sort of love dungeon. Kagome shuddered in disgust.

"Why are they like that?" she wondered out loud. "Mom and Dad."

"Like what?" Inuyasha asked, entering the freeway.

Kagome sighed. "Just so into one another."

Inuyasha echoed her sigh with one of his own, sounding eerily similar. "They've always been like that. It was one of their vows."

"But can't they maybe just take a break and pay attention to something else? I mean, it's been seven-hundred and seventy-eight years!"

"They can't. Like, physically cannot. It's impossible."

"Why the heck not?" Hadn't he been hurt by the way they were, just as hurt as she was? Or was it just her? Was there something about her in particular that made them forget she existed?

"They made _vows_ ," he stressed, changing lanes until they were in the carpool. "It's part of the mating process. Geez, you don't know shit about demons even though you were raised by one, huh?"

"So what?" Kagome huffed irritably. "I'm human, remember?"

"Before a couple completes the mating process," Inuyasha explained, sounding like a detached professor, "while still, um, enjoined, they make vows. Three each. Mother vowed to obey all demon laws, to always serve Father, and to never love anyone but Father. Father vowed to always protect Mother, to always serve Mother, and to never love anyone but Mother. Guess they didn't really think that whole thing through."

"How can they both serve each other?"

"That's how mating and marriages work. Good ones, anyway. Both parties put the needs and wants of the other before their own, and then everyone's happy."

Kagome nodded, some resentment towards her parents slipping away now that she understood them a bit more. "Have you ever been married, or mated, or whatever?" He seemed like he understood a lot about what it took to make a relationship last.

Inuyasha snorted. "No fucking way am I ever letting a bitch trap me into anything like that."

"So you don't have a mate or any kids or a wife or girlfriend or _anything_?" she asked, confused. She knew he was single since he had told her so, but had not known what that meant to him. A lot of people consider themselves to be single when they were really just unmarried. And he had really sounded like some sort of love guru.

"Nothing to tie me down, babe. I'm all yours," he said suavely, shooting her a grin.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "No thanks."

"So what about you? Any boyfriends who were actually attracted to you?"

It hurt, and she felt like getting out of the car, which she definitely would have done were they not already on the goddamn freeway. Deciding she might as well just learn to deal with him, she responded as calmly as she could. "No. I've never dated anyone but Hojo."

Inuyasha looked at her in surprise. "Why? You're a hot little piece, frigidness aside. Were you an ugly duckling or something? Let me guess, fat until last summer?"

"Not wanting to fuck you doesn't make me _frigid_ ," Kagome hissed. "And no, I'm not an ugly duckling. I've always been pretty," she finished in a mumble, crossing her arms childishly. It was true, boys had always liked her. But she had never really noticed anyone until Hojo, who had relentlessly pursued her, and now she was just so topsy-turvy inside her mind that she didn't know what she wanted anymore.

"I literally cannot think of any reason why you don't want me. I'd give you more than anyone else could."

"Just drop it," she said exasperatedly, pushing her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose and leaning her chair back with the intention of napping.

"Alright, baby," he murmured good-naturedly. "Sleep tight."

**O\o/O**

Kagome woke up to an uncomfortable feeling on her chest. Looking down, she saw Inuyasha's large, clawed hands on top of her clothed breasts, squeezing and playing with them. Gritting her teeth in anger, she punched his upper arm as hard as she could, which ended up hurting her hand. Her action was not futile, however, since he laughingly pulled away from her chest and put his hands back where they belonged.

"What the fuck was that all about?!" she spat out. A part of her was scared that most of her anger was due to being woken up from her nap and not at being felt up. Was she some sort of freak for not resenting being manhandled like that?

"I turned the AC way, way up and after a while I just couldn't help myself, I had to warm you up," he said, grinning in satisfaction.

"Where are we?" she muttered, yanking on the lever to make her chair go back to its normal position. It was dark outside, so they must have been traveling for quite a while.

"Restaurant. Thought you could use some food."

Grunting, Kagome exited the car. They were in a dirt parking lot next to a tiny diner that looked like something out of a Stephen King novel. Calling it a restaurant was certainly generous. She shuddered, predicting unwashed glasses and plastic utensils. But then her stomach gave a growl and she remembered that her ancestors had survived the Plague and she could handle one place with sanitation not quite up to her standards. Stumbling out of the car, she didn't wait for Inuyasha and went straight into the place, sitting down at a booth and glaring at the only waitress in sight who was just sitting at a table and watching the TV that hung on the opposite wall. It was on some stupid telenovela and Kagome sighed in frustration.

"Hey, can we get some service over here?" Inuyasha asked loudly, his tone the comfortable kind of rude that told everyone he had money and did not like to be kept waiting, something that made the waitress jump up immediately and scurry over to them, still stealing glances at the television to watch a man attempt to choke a woman whose face was mostly make-up.

"Drinks?"

"Diet Coke," Kagome muttered, flipping through the menu listlessly. Burgers and breakfast, that was it.

"You got beer?" Inuyasha asked, not even looking at the section of the menu which listed all the available beverages.

"No, sir."

He muttered something about a lower tip and ordered a water. "And I think we're ready to order now."

"I'm not fini—"

"She'll have the fried egg burger and I'll have the steak with my eggs fried as well," he said. "And make it quick, we're in a hurry."

The woman nodded without responding and left their table.

"Did you just fucking order for me?!" Kagome hissed, feeling her left eyelid twitch cartoonishly.

"You were gonna order the French toast or some shit and that would have sucked. Just get what they do best and move on," he said, sounding as bored as she felt.

"And how do you know what they do best? Are you psychic?"

Inuyasha snorted and stood up, forcing his way to her side of the booth and sitting next to her, crowding her. "These places are all the same. Get the steak and eggs or a burger, never anything else. At least you were smart enough not to get the juice."

"Here," the waitress muttered, sliding their drinks across the table, his water almost knocking her soda over. Straws followed and she left to go sit and watch her show, where the woman with too much make-up on and the man who had been choking her were now kissing passionately.

"Get back to your side of the table!" Kagome said threateningly, eyeing the knife on the napkin to her left.

"You were cold," Inuyasha said as he put his arm around her. "You were shivering in your sleep."

"I'm fine now," she insisted, suddenly feeling very warm. "You can leave."

"How'd you and the gay kid meet?" he asked, scooting closer until their sides were touching.

"School," Kagome scowled. "Don't bring him up. I'm still mad."

"Are you sad-mad or mad-mad?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Both."

Before Inuyasha could make another pathetic attempt at continuing the conversation, the waitress was back with food that looked both burned and undercooked. Taking a look at the goopy, dripping egg sliming its way down the charred beef it sat upon made Kagome want to hurl. Gingerly, she brought her fork up and poked at it, somewhat surprised when it did not poke back. Just as she was about to give in and eat it, her plate was covered in red and indelicate farting sounds filled the air.

"Everything's better with ketchup!" Inuyasha said with a grin, continuing to thoroughly drown her mostly okay "food". "Open up," he cooed, picking up a French fry slathered in watery ketchup and waving it not even an inch from her face. "You'll need your energy for what I want to do tonight."

Silencing her inner scream of frustration, Kagome took advantage of her petite form and abruptly slid underneath the table, reappearing on the other side in just a second. With quick movements, she snatched her plate back and put her legs on the unoccupied side of her bench, shooting Inuyasha a triumphant look. To her surprise, he merely smiled at her and began to dig into his steak, dunking a large piece of meat into the egg yolk. They continued eating in silence, trading glances here and there to the sound of a man and woman screaming at each other in Spanish on the television.

**O\o/O**

Once they were done eating, when, true to his word, Inuyasha left a shitty tip, they drove down the road a ways until they came upon a completely abandoned-looking motel, the kind which only the most paranoid adulterer or creepy serial axe-murderer went to. Of course, the half-demon in their party decided that was the perfect place to make a stop. Grumbling curses at her companion, Kagome trudged behind him to the little booth that encased the bored, overweight man who was there in the extremely unlikely chance somebody would want to stop for the night.

"You can just keep driving. It's not like you have to sleep," she pointed out as he handed his card over to the clerk.

"One room, please," he told the insomniac behind the bullet-proof glass.

"One room?!" she nearly shrieked in outrage.

"We ain't got two beds in them rooms," the man wheezed back.

Inuyasha nodded, unsurprised. "That's good."

Kagome tugged on Inuyasha's sleeve. "I _know_ you have enough money for two rooms, Mr. Taisho Productions!" she sneered.

Laughing, he shook her off, taking her arm and leading her towards their destination. "And here I thought I'd actually found a woman who didn't want me for my money."

Yanking her hand from his grasp, Kagome replied, "You know damn good and well your money is the only reason why I'm here."

For just a second, she thought she'd finally gotten to him. For just a second, he had a stricken look on his face, like she had slapped him. For just a second, she wanted to take her words back.

Inuyasha snorted and continued to pull her along. "Nah, you're here 'cause that little fag jilted you and you weren't good enough for your school and now you've got nothing else."

And then she was the one who felt like she'd been slapped.

"I still think we should have separate rooms," she muttered as he slid the card to unlock their rather squeaky door.

"I didn't make all that money by being extravagant."

The room was small, with a single full bed in the center. An ancient television sat across from it on a rickety chest of drawers, and there were a multitude of suspicious stains on the carpet. A teeny-tiny bathroom was to the right of the bed, and it seemed like attempting to clean herself off in the dingy place would only result in making her dirtier. All in all, it was a substandard arrangement, and she wanted to cry.

She turned around to share her thoughts with the only other person suffering with her. "Do you think that ghosts could— _OH MY GOD_!"

"What?!" a now nude Inuyasha growled at her from atop the bed.

"Why are you naked _again_?!" she shrieked, once again unable to stop looking at _it_. _It_ twitched as if to say hello.

He shrugged. "I sleep naked. I ain't changing just 'cause you're a prude."

Doing her best imitation of his growl, she retorted, "Then I'll just sleep on the floor."

"Good luck with that," he said with a smirk.

Just as she was about to ask what exactly he meant by that, a cockroach scurried across the carpet, nearly touching her bare foot. Swallowing her horror, she leapt on the bed. "I'll just stay very, very, very far away from you, then."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself. You sure you don't wanna change into something comfier?"

"Not with someone like you around."

As though the gods that governed unfortunate events had decided to make Kagome Taisho their own personal jester bitch, at that moment a loud thumping was heard somewhere above them within the very ceiling, and it immediately became obvious that the air conditioner had broken. Defeated, Kagome curled up on her side, facing away from Inuyasha. Her top was thick and sweatery and her jeans suddenly felt very heavy and confining. It didn't take long, only about half an hour, to realize that there was no way she'd be getting to sleep that night. The very air felt choked with heat, and soon her breathing sounded more like desperate pants.

"You could just sleep naked, y'know," Inuyasha said sleepily behind her.

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to calm down, not wanting to overheat and spontaneously combust or something. "Not a fucking chance, pervert."

"Too damn stubborn," he mumbled.

Before she could register it, Inuyasha flipped her onto her back. Opening her mouth to ask what in the _hell_ he thought he was doing, she was shocked into silence when he began wrestling her pants off, pushing away her kicking legs like they were merely the weak limbs of those crazy wavy inflatable things outside of car dealerships. Flinging her pants to the floor, he quickly tugged her top off. Now just in her underwear, Kagome wondered if she should scream. The area was completely deserted, and she doubted a scream would bring anyone even if the motel was packed. It was just that kind of place. Instead, she just decided to stare up at him. Really, it was kind of a treat. He was nice to look at. Inuyasha stared back, his hands completely still as they restrained her legs by the knees.

There was a burning in her very core. He needed to do something to her, _anything_. Kagome's lips parted slightly and her breathing picked up. There was something there, something between them, and it both frightened her and made her happy.

To her great disappointment, however, he merely gave her a small half-smile, caressed the back of her knee, and rolled right back over and promptly fell asleep. Soon, he was snoring lightly, not loud enough to disturb her. Eyes wide and heart pounding, Kagome stared at the dark ceiling, her final thought before succumbing to slumber that she had finally cooled down enough to sleep only to heat up again in an entirely different way.


	5. Another One that Screams Like You

**Five: Another One That Screams Like You**

**(Dead Girl by Acid Bath)**

Kagome awoke to a great weight pressing on her and hindering her breathing. Even so, something about it was pleasant. Oooh, and _that_ feeling was pleasant too. Whimpering, still half asleep, she pushed her pelvis up into the firm object that seemed made for her, rubbing her special place. She had only ever felt this intense with one person in real life, and that person was—

The shock of remembering where she was woke her up entirely, and she forced her eyes open so fast it hurt. Inuyasha was tangled up with her, his unrestrained morning wood pressing into her panty-covered pussy. Still appearing unconscious, his brow was creased and he was moving his hips in an incredibly erotic way against her, trying to get off even as he slept. What surprised her the most was how turned on she continued to feel even after fully realizing the situation. Face coloring, she dismissed it as just early morning fuzzy-headedness.

Without a warning, his nose twitched and he sniffed, his eyes going open wide and greeting her with his sunshine stare. She felt that feeling again, that feeling of a deep connection that begged to be explored, that taunting feeling of being on the edge of something big and wonderful.

"So do you wanna fuck now or in the shower?"

Kagome responded by punching him in the gut.

Grinding her teeth and hoping it wouldn't become a habit again, she rolled off the bed and scurried into the bathroom.

"If you follow me, I swear I will scream and slice you open with my razor!" she shrieked, taking the object out of her toiletry bag just in case he tried to call her bluff.

His laughter was audible even over the pounding water of the shower as she desperately tried to wash that half-man out of her hair.

**O\o/O**

"So, whaddya wanna do?" Inuyasha asked as he drove.

Kagome shrugged. "Get to wherever the hell we're going."

"Aside from that," he said, sounding slightly annoyed.

Her stomach grumbled. "I'm hungry," she said with a slight whine. "But I don't want to go to a 'restaurant' like that other one."

"There's not really anything besides those crappy truck stop joints. Unless you're willing to sacrifice your figure and get fast food…"

"I'd rather have cottage cheese ass and thighs than be forced into a diner like that last one," she said, shivering from the mere memory.

He smirked. "I'd eat your ass even if it was cottage cheesy."

Showing no sign of her disgust besides a slight flaring of her nostrils, Kagome pulled out a bottle of nail polish from her purse. Instead of calling him out on being so perverted and disgusting, she began to slowly and painstakingly do her nails. Immediately, the car swerved sharply, and she cackled like mad, knowing he nearly passed out from the smell.

Inuyasha glared at her and bared his teeth, pressing the button to put all the windows down, which made her long hair that she had taken two hours to lovingly fix that morning fly every which way. That would have been a point for him were they not surrounded by factories. Not very eco-friendly factories, either. After all that, they had to pull over for a while as he dry heaved on the side of the road, which set them back quite a bit, but Kagome still felt like she'd accomplished something. Finally, he got back in the car, shooting her a look that she interpreted as a temporary truce. They drove in a more or less comfortable silence until nightfall.

"What has your life been like, Inuyasha?" she asked out of the blue. She had been wondering ever since they'd first met, but was only bored enough to try and find out now. "Wikipedia has only told me so much."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Well, I don't know what to tell you. That's pretty much it."

"But it only talks about you forming Taisho Productions and coming up with the idea for Tricky the Trilobite! You only started doing film work a hundred years ago, and I know you're somewhere around five-hundred. There's literally nothing about who you are, what you like, where you're from…" Kagome trailed off, hoping he'd tell her something juicy.

The half-demon sighed and changed lanes, the skin around his mouth tightening subtly. "With time, a person changes. I am not the same person I once was, and that person isn't worth remembering."

It was awkward now, and she regretting bringing it up. "Everybody is worth remembering," she murmured.

"This bar is great!" he exclaimed out of nowhere, startling her. After a few seconds, she became annoyed that he had ignored her and changed the subject. Before she could yell at him, however, he stopped the car, and she realized they were in a parking lot outside yet another dingy little building, only this time the surrounding was pure desert. "Come on, I'm thirsty."

Immediately, her eyes lit up, all anger forgotten. "I've never been to a bar before!"

She was so excited she even allowed him to put an arm around her waist as he led her into the establishment, the inside of which looked like something out of an old cowboy movie with the addition of an ancient jukebox on the far side of the room. Looking around at the rather less than attractive clientele, she gingerly sat herself down at the bar, balancing so as not to wobble in her seat. Inuyasha sat down next to her, elbows on the counter and legs splayed open in a carefree manner despite his serious comment of only minutes before. As though summoned by their mere presence, a greasy, balding man in a dirty wife beater approached them, his prominent forehead shiny with sweat.

"Whaddya want?" he said gruffly, polishing an empty glass with a rag that didn't even look fit to clean a urinal.

Kagome, however, bar virgin that she was, saw all this through rose-colored lenses, still delighted that they had not asked to see her ID. "I'll have a cosmo!" she chirped.

"…What?"

"A _cos-mo_ ," she repeated, enunciating the syllables like he was both hard of hearing and stupid.

"Lady, we don't got none of that here."

"Oh," she said, feeling disappointed. "Well, what is there?"

"Vodka. Whiskey. Scotch. Beer for the ladies."

She frowned. "Um, I guess I'll just have beer, then."

"Whiskey," Inuyasha grunted.

The man went off with a nod to do her bidding and probably spit in her drink. Feeling the evening was now ruined, Kagome turned to Inuyasha, noticing the shaking of his shoulders that revealed he'd been quietly laughing at her for a while. She scowled at him. "What's so funny?!"

"You're cute," was all he said, shaking his head as he continued to smile.

A tankard of beer made its way down the counter, miraculously stopping right in front of her without spilling a drop, quickly followed by Inuyasha's whiskey. Amazed, she took a sip, expecting something amazing with a flavor that couldn't be beat. Instead, she wrinkled her nose, barely managing to swallow the foamy mouthful.

"Why do people even _drink_ this?!" she exclaimed in disgust.

"It's an acquired taste," he replied, something in his tone making her stomach flutter.

Inuyasha grabbed her glass and, ignoring her protests, took a sip from her beer, his lips precisely where her own had been located just a few seconds ago. Now she was blushing. With a laugh at her expense, Inuyasha tossed about half his glass of whiskey back, a miniscule amount since he was driving.

"That's not fair!" Kagome squeaked, desperately trying to go back to being normal and not self-conscious and mushy inside. Hand darting out, she snagged his glass and took a small sip without thinking. It was even worse than the beer. "Oh my freaking lord, is that _mouthwash_?!"

Now her face was feeling hot from the drinking and not from what she now could acknowledge was flirting. Inuyasha made a hand gesture at the bartender that she glimpsed out of the corner of her eye, and soon a whole bottle of whiskey was sailing towards them. He poured a little more in his glass and offered it to her. For some reason, she accepted, whether she wanted to impress him or compete with him or just not think about things for a little while, she didn't know. Unfortunately, she was a petite female who had never had a drop of alcohol in her life, so her tolerance was pitifully low. It wasn't long before she began to swoon in her seat, held upright only by sheer will and maybe Inuyasha's helping hand that rested a little too low on her waist.

"You tired?" he whispered.

Kagome giggled. His lips were right against her ear and it tickled. Since when did talking tickle? It occurred to her that there might be a slight possibility she was drunk. "Are you tryin' ta get me ta schleep wiff yooou?" she slurred in what she thought was an inside voice but certainly wasn't. "Get it?! 'Cause you ashked if I was ti-red an' I shaid 'are you try—'"

Inuyasha chuckled nervously. "Guess you can't handle as much as I thought. Come on, we're leaving."

"But _whyyyyyyyy_?" Kagome whined, on the verge of tears. "I was makin' so many new friendsss! Like that creepy bald creep guy who gave ush tha drinks."

The man was less than two feet away from them and giving Inuyasha an incredibly threatening look.

"Uh, how about we make new friends at our hotel, Kagome? Huh?"

Kagome, now on her feet thanks to Inuyasha, swayed a little and blinked, trying to clear her slightly blurry vision. "Waaaait, hold on, I know what _you_ wanna do," she said, a goofy grin on her face. "I'll have you know I'm not that kinda girrrl," she giggled. "But iff you really wan'ed to, there'sh nothing that would ssstop you from doing whateeeverrr you wan'ed to me."

Her lips puckered and she tilted her face up, begging for a kiss. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and played along, leaning down to take advantage of the opportunity.

" _Inuyasha_!" a very excited and feminine voice shrieked directly into his ears.

The half-demon and human girl both jumped in unison, startled by the hookery-looking woman whose arms were now wrapped around Inuyasha's neck. Her skin was pale and flawless, her hair smooth and black and swaying down to nearly her bottom, and her big brown doe eyes had even Kagome jealous. The outfit she wore consisted of a clingy black halter top, a black denim mini skirt, thigh-high loose weave fishnets (the lacy tops of which were visible), and black leather boots that went up to just above her knees. In other words, things easily taken off or pushed out of the way. The shape of her perky breasts was revealed through the skin-tight top, letting everyone in the room know she wore no bra.

"Kikyo, what the fuck happened?" Inuyasha said in a hushed voice, looking her over. "Why are you dressed like that?"

Kikyo frowned and separated from him. "I haven't seen you in fifty years and that's all you have to say to me?!"

Inuyasha laughed uneasily. "Er, one moment, I've got to get something from my car…"

Suddenly, he grabbed Kagome by the wrist and made a break for it, dashing madly for the door. Her legs were wobbly though, and she fell almost immediately. To his credit, rather than dragging her, Inuyasha attempted to pick her up and carry her out, but was prevented from touching her by a jukebox sailing towards his head and knocking him out cold. Kikyo nodded, obviously proud at having hit her target, and strolled over to where Kagome was currently screaming and almost sober.

"Oh my god!" she screamed, looking at the other patrons and wondering why nobody was helping her. "B-blood is everywhere, he's going to die!" Turning to Kikyo, her eyes filled with tears. "Y-you killed him. You killed Inuyasha. Holy fucking shit, _you killed him_!"

The immortal hooker just rolled her heavily shadowed eyes. "He'll be fine. That demon blood of his will repair him in no time. Now help me drag him to his car. I don't want blood on my work clothes."

Sniffling and trying to keep from hyperventilating, Kagome obeyed, not knowing what else to do. Nobody was even looking at them, suggesting that things like this happened on a daily basis. Was every place like this? Had she been more sheltered than she realized? While Kikyo grabbed his legs and lifted, Kagome was stuck with his head, which now sported a pretty nasty dent in it. His beautiful, shining silver hair now was soaked and discolored by his own blood, and she felt like retching. Even dead, his face was scrunched up in pain, and Kagome wanted to smooth the lines away and make him open his eyes. Once at the car, keeping one hand on Inuyasha's leg and letting the other drop momentarily, Kikyo rustled through his pockets (taking a few too seconds too long, in Kagome's opinion) and pulled out Inuyasha's keys. After pressing the button to open the door, she grabbed him again and they stuffed him in the backseat, laying him down on his back. Gesturing for Kagome to get in the passenger seat, Kikyo got in, started the car, and with screeching tires abandoned the scene of the crime.

"Um, who are you?" Kagome asked, staring down at her blood-covered shaking hands. Did this technically make her an accomplice? Would she go to jail? How would she tell her parents that she'd helped murder their only son?

"Inuyasha's fiancée," she replied, going about a hundred and still increasing. "Are you his new whore?"

"God, no," Kagome said tremulously. "I'm Kagome. We have the same mother."

Kikyo nodded. "So are you two like, together, or what?"

"Ew!" Kagome said, face heating. "I just told you we have the same mother!"

The madwoman just shrugged. "That doesn't matter to demons. You're not siblings unless you have the same two parents."

"Ugh, I know, he told me already. I'm still not on board with that."

"Good! If you two were together, I'd have to kill you."

Kagome laughed nervously, glancing at the oddly cheerful woman. It would be best to stay on her good side until a police or highway patrol car showed up. Then she could signal them or even just jump out of the car and roll and hope she didn't die trying to get help. "So, uh, how did you two meet?"

Kikyo sighed dreamily and pulled off to the broad shoulder of the freeway for no apparent reason. "It's a long story, but we've been together for about five-hundred years."

"Wow. That's…quite a commitment." Kagome's brow furrowed, mind still slightly sluggish. Why hadn't Inuyasha told her about Kikyo?

"I know. I just wish he'd recognize it again. I gave up _everything_ for him." Tears began to well in the psychotic murderer's eyes and Kagome sympathetically patted her knee, for the first time realizing how truly beautiful the other girl was. Kikyo couldn't have been much older than her, twenty at most.

"I'm sure he'll come around," she lied soothingly.

Kikyo dried her eyes. "Not likely. He loves getting other men to suck him off more than he loves me."

Kagome's lips parted in shock. "Has he done that in front of you?"

"Only about a thousand times!" she sobbed.

The girl began to feel tears come to her own eyes. "He— He made my boyfriend do it too, and I saw."

Kikyo gasped and grabbed her hands, pulling them between her own in a gesture of comfort and solidarity. "That bastard! I'm so sorry."

"And he's so homophobic, too!" she continued to rant, momentarily forgetting that the corpse of the man she spoke of was sprawled out in the seat behind her. "It makes no sense."

"He doesn't see it as gay behavior. To him, it's just about dominance and submission. Inuyasha has a very primal way of thinking."

"But if he's straight, why does he keep doing it?!" Kagome continued, ignoring the flimsy explanation. "At least be nicer to queer folk."

"Indeed," Kikyo said with a nod. "What they do is perfectly natural, unlike him, and he needs to realize that."

"I've never been with another girl before, but if I were a demon like him, I'd at least be nice about it and, oh, I don't know, give them a kiss at the very least for their hard work."

"Same here."

The drinks Kagome had consumed were still at work making her warm and fuzzy-headed, although the effect seemed to have increased since they entered the car. Kikyo's cool fingers gripping her own were feeling nicer than fingers ever had.

Kikyo spoke again, interrupting the small silence. "You're so warm, Kagome. It's very nice."

The teenager blushed. "I-I was just thinking the same thing about you. Your hands are very cool and refreshing…"

The cool and refreshing hands stopped holding hers and instead ghosted over her face, caressing her cheek before running over her lips. Kagome's heartbeat quickened, and she suddenly wondered what it would be like to have those fingers touching her in other places. As if Kikyo could read her thoughts, she grinned and played with the edges of Kagome's panties, leaving the girl to briefly wonder where her shorts had gone. No sooner than the thought occurred did it float away again, spurred on by the feeling of Kikyo's cold lips against hers, tongue making its way inside her mouth and teasing her own.

She had never gone this far with anyone before, and Hojo's face danced through her mind, enraging her. Deciding to be rebellious, she tugged her tank top down under her breasts, revealing them to the woman on top of her. Kikyo's eyes lit up and she bent her head, sucking one of them into her mouth. It was even better than Kagome had fantasized about, and she wondered if it was because her partner was female and knew what girls liked or was just experienced. Would it be this way with a man?

Fingers plunged inside her, cold as ice cubes, and she cried out, now numb to the temperature. She was wetter than she'd ever been before, so wet she could hear the vulgar squeaking and sloshing noises, but she didn't care. Even having Inuyasha dead in the backseat wasn't bothering her. Nothing mattered more than grinding against the hand that was pleasing her. Above her, Kikyo was beginning to moan and whimper with the beginnings of an orgasm. Kagome didn't know how that was possible since she wasn't touching her at all. Maybe she was faking it? But why would she need to do that?

Her own orgasm was sudden, and less fulfilling than she felt it would be. Her walls barely pulsed and she felt strangely cheated. Kagome glared up at Kikyo, feeling unreasonably angry, and observed her humping the air like some sort of obscene mime act.

"I-I- _Inuyasha_!" Kikyo shrieked, moaning after what sounded like a fantastic orgasm.

A loud crash sound made Kagome flinch, and suddenly she was covered in bits and pieces of dust and something sharp. She screamed, wondering what had happened. Had they been hit? Were they okay? A gentle hand on her face silenced her, and suddenly she was looking into the golden eyes of a dead man. Inuyasha. He was staring at her, hunger just barely overpowered by concern in his gaze, brushing some dust and shards off her bare stomach gently, the soft sweeps the tips of his claws made making the fire roar to life within her again. Kagome shuddered.

"Where's Kikyo?" she asked. First she was on top of her, then she was nowhere.

Inuyasha just continued getting the mess off of her. "I broke her."

Her eyes bugged out in disbelief. Maybe he'd been hit a little too hard. "Y-you what? How is that even possible?"

He snorted. "She's nothing but a clay doll of what she used to be, plus a bunch of lust spells thrown together to make one giant monster bitch."

"What? But she's your fiancée!"

Inuyasha laughed. "Kikyo was just some girl I fucked a long time ago, back when I was too young to know how to tell the crazies from the rest," he explained. "She killed herself after I broke it off with her and arranged for some witch to make her into what you saw so she could follow me forever and try to win me back. She was a monster that fed off the souls of young girls and would have taken yours when she was through," he said, his eyes turning hard. "If she hadn't screamed my name like a fucking psycho, I doubt I would have woken up."

Kagome was trembling uncontrollably. "I—I just—I had _sex—_ with a dead girl?" she whispered.

Inuyasha nodded.

"But her tongue… It was… My mouth, and… Oh my god." Her stomach churned and she tried her best to keep everything down.

Inuyasha leaned over her again and she looked up at him, just looking at him centering her and making her calm down. His eyes were on hers but his hands were brushing her ribs. She remembered that her tank top was still pulled down so her breasts were free and pulled up so her stomach was shown, making her bare everywhere but that small portion. Inuyasha was looking at her intensely, magnificent eyes smoldering, and it was turning her on, filling her with a kind of lust no spell could replicate.

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, feeling her nipples harden just from saying his name.

He brought his face closer, and Kagome readied herself for what she knew was coming, her eyes closing halfway. Instead of taking her mouth and then her virginity, however, she was shocked when he merely kissed her forehead, around the place where he had been hit earlier, gently making contact with his soft lips before fixing her clothes.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you drink," he muttered as he arranged himself in the driver's seat. "You rest for now and I'll sweep Kikyo out of the car. I can't believe I missed the girl on girl. _Shit_."

**End note: I'm a terrible drinker. I have** _**one** _ **Mike's Hard Lemonade and I can't walk. It's that bad. So yeah, I'll be updating Highway to Hell and Bizarre Love Triangle as I go, leaving Forget the Storm as my main focus so I can just get it out of the way and focus on other stuff.**


	6. Broken Into

**Six: Broken Into**

**(Simply Falling by Iyeoka)**

After their recent encounter with the living dead girl and holder of the rather dubious title of Inuyasha's fiancée, Kikyo, Kagome thought she'd had enough excitement to last a lifetime. But it wasn't even a week later that she found herself bored as all hell. They'd been driving almost non-stop, aside from their occasional stays in crappy motels, and she was tired of the fields of corn and billboards advertising cheap gasoline and showgirls. She wanted an adventure, dammit, and not of the showgirl kind!

As though in answer to her prayers, they passed a billboard for a casino.

"I want to go there!" she shrieked, unperturbed when Inuyasha nearly swerved off the road, surprised by her breaking the silence. She'd barely spoken at all since her experience with Kikyo, too creeped out by the things she'd done and had done to her.

"Oh, _now_ you wanna see the showgirls," he grumbled. Inuyasha had been begging every time he saw a billboard, thinking that after her girl on girl tryst she'd be open to the idea.

"Not that," she hissed, glaring at him, "the casino!"

"You're a little too young for that."

And not for the showgirls? Kagome curled her hands into fists, resolving to get her way and not get drawn into another pointless little argument. "But I really, really, _really_ want to go. Now. Today."

He shook his head. "No. We're going to a hotel tonight, a real one. And we can have separate rooms. I want to make it there in a half hour, I've already reserved our spots."

Kagome's heart sank, both because she was maybe a little offended that he was no longer so eager to share a room with her and also because she genuinely was excited and wanted to visit a new place, have a new experience.

"But it's still daytime," she pointed out. "We can go to the hotel later, Inuyasha, please?" Turning the full force of her pouty face on him, she was disappointed when he didn't even glance at her.

"So? You're a growing girl. You need your rest."

Her lower lip trembled and she felt the frustration inside her burst. "B-but you said if I went with you I could do anything I wanted, a-and this is the only thing I want to do, and after e-everything I went through—"

"Ugh, fine!" Inuyasha snapped just as her tears began to fall for real. Changing lanes, he only just made the exit for the casino. "But if they ask for your ID, we're outta there."

Kagome smiled. They were in the middle of nowhere, she doubted they'd be that strict. They were lucky to get any business at all. Plus, she was with an older guy, and maybe that would make people think she was a few years older. It was perfect.

Traffic was surprisingly thick for the middle of nowhere, and by the time they made it to the casino, it was sunset. Leaping out of the car, Kagome began to bound towards the entrance, but the lack of a familiar presence made her stop. Inuyasha still hadn't come out of the car. Annoyed and confused, she backtracked to him, opening the passenger door and sticking her head inside. And shrieked.

_There was someone else in the car._

She was certain it was their car, the license plate was the same, but the man sitting in the driver's seat was most certainly _not_ a half-demon. Before she could leave and try to find Inuyasha, the man grabbed her hand and tugged her inside, leaning over her and shutting the door.

"I never wanted you to see me like this," he muttered, head bowed over the steering wheel.

She knew that voice. "I-Inuyasha?"

He grunted in the affirmative.

"What happened to you? Your hair is black and your eyes are dark. And your ears…" She missed his regular features.

He sighed. "Every new moon, I turn human. Can't smell, can't see, can't fuckin' think straight. It sucks ass." The now human Inuyasha looked embarrassed and disgusted with himself.

Oh. She'd forgotten he could do the whole turning human thing.

"You're still you," she said softly. Grabbing his hand, she brought it to her lap and encased it in both her own. "You're still the same Inuyasha who annoyed me into going on this trip, who listens to me, who saved me from a crazy dead woman." He looked at her and her heart began to race. "And you can be funny, and nice, and you're still so handsome, even without the ears—"

Wrinkling his nose, he pulled his hand from hers. "Cut it out with the incest shit, Kagome."

Mouth falling open in an offended gasp, she said, "That's what I've been saying this entire time!"

"It hasn't been that until right now."

Closing her eyes, she did a few breathing techniques and left the car, kicking the tire when his back was turned. Normally, she would have argued with him, but she wanted to get into the casino as soon as possible. They walked up to the entrance, together but apart, her angry and he annoyed. There was no one manning the entrance, which surprised her, and they breezed on through. While Inuyasha got some chips, she took a look around. The place was crowded, to her surprise, bright and loud and filled to the brim with sad-looking people that should've been the last kind to throw money away on gambling. When she spotted the slot machines, she brightened. Ever since she was a child, she'd wanted to try those. They were all occupied by old ladies, but she sauntered over, waiting on one of them to finish so she could have a turn.

"Are you serious? Fuckin' slots?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, blowing her bangs out of them as she did so. She was due for a trim. "Yeah. I don't think I could play any of the other games. I wouldn't know how."

"You're sure I can't convince you to be my lucky charm?" he said with a grin, hands in his pockets.

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. He looked so boyish. "No, I'd rather stay here."

Inuyasha turned to walk away, but came back, expression seeming torn. "I probably shouldn't do this, but do you want a drink?"

Kagome thought about it. The last time she drank, an undead hooker had fingered her and tried to kill her.

"Yeah, okay."

"One of those fruity girly things?"

She nodded, smiling bright. Inuyasha took off, moving quickly despite his lack of demonic speed. By the time he came back, there still wasn't an open slot machine. Taking a sip of her cosmo (finally!), she watched the old lady to her left who seemed to be barely awake win a flood of silver coins.

"Holy shit, this place is old-fashioned as fuck," Inuyasha said close to her ear, fighting to be heard over the commotion. "Feels like I'm back in Vegas during the Elvis era." He handed her a bucket and a small stack of bills. "Go ahead, blow it all. I'm gonna try and win it back on the tables."

Kagome stuck her tongue out at his retreating back, resenting him basically calling her a loser. She could win. Hell, that doddering old bat had done it, why couldn't she? She had luck on her side, she had to, after all the crap life had put her through. Grinning down at the bucket, she saw she also had money. A lot of money. There was no way she could lose…

She held on to that thought for two hours, three hundred dollars, and six cosmos (Inuyasha kept sending them over every so often) before she finally realized she was cursed. Also, she was out of cash. Carefully getting up from the stool, she stumbled anyway, barely righting herself in time with the help of an old woman's cane leaning against the machine next to her. Before she was even out of the area, another senior citizen had taken her place, pulling the lever once before she was drowned in a sea of quarters.

"Goddammit," Kagome muttered to herself, wanting to punch something.

After a solid half hour of wandering, she finally found Inuyasha. Of course, he was drunker than she was and neck deep in skanks at the roulette table. Her lips parted in outrage, because _how dare he_ be enjoying himself when she was having a miserable night. And it was her idea to come here! He should still be sulking.

He seemed to sense her and turned around just as she started contemplating going back to the car. Inuyasha's grin was big and lazy, eyes lighting up when he spotted her. Her lips answered in their own smile and her feet moved to where he was, drawn to him like bees to pollen. Despite his new human appearance, he was the only familiar thing in the place, and she needed something familiar for comfort. Elbowing a floozy out of her way, she took her place, allowing Inuyasha's arm to settle on her shoulder. For just a little bit, Kagome needed to lean on him, to allow his presence to push the volume of the casino and her own disappointment away. When she realized she was just hiding in his armpit, she burrowed out, forcing her eyes to focus and take in the scene.

Inuyasha had an awful lot of chips in front of him. If she couldn't guess what that meant, the glares of the other people gathered around the table would've tipped her off. He was winning big, and had been for a while. A very tall woman with elegant features detached herself from a portly little man in a suit and came over their way, defecting to Inuyasha. No longer caring so much about observing her surroundings or following the game, Kagome glared at her. What right did that bitch have to just saunter over to Inuyasha like she fucking knew him, like she belonged with him!? Nose wrinkling, she pretended to watch the game again, stealthily bringing her leg up behind her and kicking out to the side, the sharp toe of her boot landing right on the bitch's ass.

The woman jumped, startled, and glanced at Inuyasha, who hadn't even seemed to notice her arrival. Suspicious, she spotted Kagome, who smiled brightly and tugged on one of Inuyasha's black forelocks, bringing his head down so she could plant a big, sloppy kiss right on his cheek.

"Ew, Kagome, quit it," Inuyasha muttered, twisting away from her but not removing his arm from her shoulders. Turning to address the crowd, he laughed. "Who the fuck really thinks they can take on _the_ Inuyasha fuckin' Taisho? Any of you yokels got the stones?"

A few people left, grumbling and rolling their eyes. The only people who remained were the serious gamblers or the seriously ticked-off locals. Kagome was about to tell Inuyasha to take it easy, but a smiling waitress came by with more drinks. Inuyasha handed her another cosmo, and she drank it, quickly taking two more off the tray, not caring if they weren't for her. Inuyasha smiled at her enthusiasm and did the same, only with a few small shot glasses of amber liquid, downing them all one after another. His winning streak continued, and it didn't take long before he stopped pushing her away when she kissed his cheek after every big victory. Soon his arm moved to her waist, and he brought her a little in front of him, as though showing her off to the other players.

The strangest thing of all was she didn't even mind. Kagome even kinda liked it. Having people pay attention to her outside of school was new and exciting.

"I'm going to need to see some ID."

Both Inuyasha and Kagome stiffened, turning as one to the source of the booming voice. A giant bald man in a suit, presumably the manager, was glaring at them, a polite smile doing little to offset the hardness of his eyes. Kagome didn't know whether to run or lie or cry and beg for forgiveness.

"It's okay, buddy, she's with me," Inuyasha said, coming to her rescue. Convinced the business was taken care of, he went back to the game.

"Sir, I need to see _your_ identification."

Pissed off at being interrupted for a second time, Inuyasha released Kagome, sticking his hand in his back pocket and pulling out a wallet so ancient it was falling apart at the seams.

"There," he barked, shoving his license in the man's face. "Satisfied?"

The manager took it from him, examining it carefully. "This isn't you."

"What the fuck are you going on about? 'Course it's me."

"For hours, you've been making some outrageous claims and disturbing our guests. You don't even look remotely like Inuyasha Taisho of Taisho Productions. You're human, for one."

Inuyasha snatched his ID back, glaring at the man. Kagome caught a glimpse of his card and saw it was true. He only had his half-demon form in the picture.

"What does it matter whether or not he's actually Inuyasha Taisho?" Kagome asked, the drinks having loosened her lips. "Just let him play and stop bugging us."

"I wouldn't have even come over here were you not also a thief, _Mr. Taisho_ ," the man sneered. "You've been cheating at the roulette table this entire time."

Kagome outright laughed. "How is that even possible? Isn't it all random?" She glanced at Inuyasha, but he wasn't laughing with her, just sweating and looking very uncomfortable.

"There's clearly a magnet in your pants. You switched the roulette ball with a trick one and you've been rigging the game."

Her brow furrowed. True, there had been something hard coming from the general area of his crotch poking her back occasionally, but she had thought that was, well, his man parts.

"You can't prove anything!" Inuyasha croaked.

"We've got it all on video, and we're going to prosecute, regardless of who you—"

Out of nowhere, Inuyasha landed a punch right in the guy's face, taking the big man down easily even though he was only human and lacked his half-demon strength. Before Kagome could scream, he was running and pulling her along. It was a good thing they were close to the doors, or else the staff might have actually been able to get a hand on them. As it was, barely anyone even moved to get them, and the ones that did were far too slow. She figured a place this far out in the sticks didn't have a lot of experience with something like this yet. Feeling exhilarated, Kagome burst into a run faster than his, and then she was the one dragging him to the car, proud she could best him in something on this one night.

They dove in the car, taking out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell, nearly running over one of the old ladies that had been sitting at the slot machines, having wandered from her station to see what all the fuss was about.

"Were you actually stupid enough to try and cheat at a casino!?" Kagome screeched as soon as they could no longer see the lights of the building they'd fled. "There are cameras everywhere, Inuyasha, even at a place like that."

The criminal just growled at her, sounding not even half as threatening as he usually did with his currently human vocal cords. "I've been cheating at the fucking roulette table ever since it first became a thing. Haven't done it in years, but a buddy of mine thought it would be fun to relive the good ole days and try to scam some of the dinkier Vegas spots, and I was gonna hit him up as soon as I finished visiting Mother and Father." He sighed, turning his dark eyes to her. "But then I saw you and my plans changed. Still had the magnet and trick ball on me, though, and when you said you wanted to go, I couldn't resist."

She wasn't listening to him, mind already turning over all the terrible possibilities. "Oh my God, they've got our license plate number. And you told them who you were! My face. My face is on video. Everyone I know will know and now I'll never get into college and I'll have to live on the run with you and—"

Inuyasha braked hard, and Kagome wondered what the hell was going on and if they had finally been caught, fully prepared to distance herself from all crimes committed in her presence and tearfully phone her mother. She was still a minor, they couldn't put her away for long. But when there weren't any flashing lights in the mirrors, she calmed, only to see what had caused them to stop in the first place. There, in the middle of the dirt road lit only by their headlights, was a pair of men mercilessly beating what looked like a small animal. And they were _enjoying_ it, their white grins practically glowing in the dark.

"Shit, we'll have to go around," Inuyasha grunted.

Kagome was already half out of the car, stomping over to the large men in leather jackets, purpose in her every step. She was alight with righteous fury, the urge to protect the poor, defenseless creature singing in her very veins. That only intensified when she neared the men who still had not noticed her and realized they weren't beating an animal, they were beating a _child_ , a poor little demon child who was not yet powerful enough to hold a completely humanoid form.

"What on earth do the two of you think you're doing?" she said in a strong voice, hands on her hips, both looking and sounding like an angry mother.

One of the men, who was some unidentifiable sort of demon that looked like a giant flabby egg, took the time to sneer at her and give her the finger before rejoining his fellow's attempts to put out the small spark of life that remained in the boy.

"I'm calling the police!" she threatened in a louder voice. Kagome honestly thought they'd go off running the minute a witness popped up, no matter how small and female and human the witness was.

The more human-looking one rolled his eyes and, mercifully, stopped kicking the little boy. The other one followed his lead.

"Nah listen he'e, bitch, this righ' he'e is Thunduh Brothuhs business, and last time I checked, you don't got one o' these," he said, running his fingers over the collar of his ugly jacket. "Humans ain't got nothin' to do with this'n. Now I reckon you bettah hustle an' run 'long afore me an' mine decide we wan' us a pretty girl an' fox paht pah. I don' chew mah cabbage twice, best 'member that."

Kagome flung herself on the child, intent on protecting him from more harm. While it looked heroic, the truth was she did not understand a word of what the demon had said, his backwoods drawl too thick for her to even begin to comprehend it. Based on her limited past experience with people who possessed similar accents, she assumed he had invited her to his grandpappy's back porch for sweet tea and a gossip session to be followed by a trip to the local Walmart or some other equally uninteresting thing.

Ignoring them, she spoke to what she now could tell was a little boy, cradling him in her arms. "Don't worry, I'll never let them hurt you again."

The egg-shaped one narrowed its eyes at her and kicked her calf just hard enough to bruise, though she could still tell it was only a warning. "Git. Go on."

Putting the full force of her disdain and hatred into her eyes and voice, Kagome continued to sit there. "No! I cannot stand by when an innocent child is being harmed. You two are monsters and should be locked away."

Eyes flashing red, the more human-looking demon raised his arm and made a fist, expression showing he'd enjoy what he was about to do. Kagome flinched, arms tightening around the little boy and body curling inward to cover him, protect him.

The blow never came, yet she heard an impact.

She knew what she'd see even before she opened her eyes to view Inuyasha falling to the ground in front of her. Witnessing the way blood instantly spurted from his face, however, was a shock, and her grip on the little fox boy loosened slightly, enough so that he could escape. She didn't even notice. Hands shaking, she crawled the few feet over to Inuyasha, summoning the strength to cradle his dazed form to herself in place of the child.

"Oh, Inuyasha, you're so stupid," she lamented, tears running down her face.

He smiled as much as he was able, his one remaining good eye twinkling at her. "I'm not the one who killed us both, wench."

Her laugh was soft yet still managed to shake a tear free from where it was lingering on her chin, making it land right on his lips.

Glaring at the guffawing hillbillies, she tried to stay strong even as they advanced on them anew.

"Y-you'll get yours," she choked, hands fisted in Inuyasha's shirt. "Karma's going to bite you right in the—"

Before she could even finish speaking, their vacant car, which so far had only served to illuminate the scene, ran the two demons over at full speed.

If Inuyasha hadn't rolled them over at just the right moment, they would have ended up roadkill, too.

Kagome lay beneath Inuyasha in the grass at the side of what could barely be called a road, stunned and unsure of whether or not she was alive and completely whole and unharmed. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the lack of light, and when she did, all she could see was Inuyasha's face.

"I was so scared," he said in what was barely a whisper. "They were going to hurt you, and I'm useless tonight."

"Not entirely," she murmured back, corners of her lips turning up into a smile.

"Oh, Kagome. You're so… _stupid_."

And with that, their lips touched, tired of resisting the pull that had been present since the very first moment they'd met (she didn't count the instance he had maybe kissed her in her sleep). Time seemed to stop. Kagome's mouth trembled incessantly. It was like her first kiss all over again. All her limited experience just went straight out the window as she allowed herself to be caressed, to be persuaded into deepening the intimacy by parting her—

"Get in, perverts."

Inuyasha broke away from her, a feral scowl on his face as they both squinted into the suddenly bright light of their car. Little bits of redneck were still splattered all over it, but the SUV was large enough that there was barely even a dent.

"Get in," the little fox demon repeated, hopping down from the car.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Inuyasha growled at him, glancing at her.

If he was feeling anything like she was, he was beyond pissed that their little moment had been interrupted. Kagome immediately felt guilty for thinking such a thing. Heck, they'd just witnessed an attempted murder and not even five minutes later they were making out on the ground. There was something incredibly wrong with the both of them and she couldn't even blame it on a concussion. Maybe the alcohol, but she felt she'd been scared mostly sober.

"Thank you for saving us," she said, getting to her feet and sending an additional thanks to the stars above that her knees weren't weak anymore from the kiss. "What's your name?"

"I'm Shippo!" he said brightly, face lighting up at her acknowledgement. With a little jump, he was on her shoulder, snuggling into her hair.

"How in the fuck did you even reach the accelerator?" Inuyasha asked, eyeing the two of them jealously.

Shippo slid down into the cradle of Kagome's waiting arms. Shrugging, he said, "I just sat on the pedals without looking."

Kagome could see Inuyasha grinding his teeth, jaw clenching in outrage.

"You little shit, you could've killed us!" Grabbing him by the tail from the safety of Kagome's embrace, he slapped him upside the head. "Male gingers should be drowned at birth, fuckin' swear to—"

" _Inuyasha_!" Kagome shouted in outrage.

He barely bothered to glance at her before he slapped the kid again. "What? He's obviously deformed. He's like fucking twelve inches tall."

She yanked the baby fox back to herself. "He'll grow!" she insisted, covering the demon's head in kisses. "Big and strong. There's nothing wrong with him."

Turning his big green eyes on her, he said, "God isn't finished with me yet."

The slight lisp sealed his fate. Kagome's pupils practically morphed into the shape of hearts and she squeezed him tighter.

"Isn't he just adorable? Awww, so _cute_ and _cuddly_. Isn't he, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha made a disgusted face. Kagome wasn't sure if he turned a slight shade of green from being hit so hard or if he really couldn't abide such a display.

"What were you doing out here with them anyway, kid?"

"My name is Shippo, you big moron," he hissed. Then, suddenly solemn, he continued. "The Thunder Brothers came into town late last year. They started taking over my people's ancestral lands little by little. They bought some, but most of it they just took. They'd set fires and kill livestock. Pretty much everyone but my family left, but then today…" He began to cry and cuddled Kagome for comfort. "Today they killed my ma an' pa. Now I'm all that's left."

"We're adopting him," she announced after what she felt to be a respectable amount of time had passed, voice firm.

"Fuck no," Inuyasha snapped back at her.

She could kind of understand why he might have objections. She was still a teenager and he was a commitment-phobic borderline rapist, but a child needed a mother and a father, and she wanted to be the mother. Inuyasha was the only guy around, so he'd have to play father-figure for a while until she found herself an appropriate husband, but that should only take a few more years. Thinking he'd be even more susceptible to her pleading now that they had broken down one wall of many and kissed, she put her plan into action.

Kagome forced her lower lip, still swollen from his attentions, to tremble. "You said I could do anything I wanted, and the one thing I wanted to do you _ruined_ , and that made us come out here and nearly get killed by two psychopaths, and I've been so _scared_ this entire time with you even after you _promised_ it would be fun and-and-and—"

"Holy fuck, _fine_!"

And that settled it. She smiled down at Shippo, for the first time noticing his bruises and lacerations. He looked exhausted. Adjusting him in her arms so he could lay down instead of stay sitting, she smiled down at him as he immediately drifted off. She finally had her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand we're back. Is anyone still into this story? Were you ever? I can't remember. You might have to remind meee…
> 
> I'm gonna really kick my ass into gear and (hopefully) finish all my ongoing stories in 2016. Forget the Storm is just the biggest pain in the ass and I really wish I left it as a one-shot. I hateithateithateit so dang much. I have a sequel in the works for Highway to Hell, as promised, tentatively titled Hell is Other People. Outline's about half-done. BLT is nearly done and everyone will be so mad at me. In addition to that, I'm writing a sequel to Want Some Help to Please Myself (you can thank bubblyblush for that), which is half-written, as well as a brand spankin' new one-shot which is a bit too light and fluffy for my comfort. Also another that's about as done as the fluffy one. Also I've got like 6 freaking more Shot Weeks (remember when I had a week with a reject one-shot every day that one time and then gave it a dumb name? That's what that is) lined up for you, my people. AND a series of rejected ideas from Strictly Taboo that I recently stumbled upon, repurposed and fashioned into new little stories, all of which are dirtykinkynastyhot. Told ya I'm gonna keep writing until my ideas are done, even if I'm the only one in the fandom. I hope a few of you will continue to read, though, even if just for old times' sake. :)


	7. It's Okay to Be Confused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did my best to write this as my mother and grandmother shouted in Spanish, one of the languages they neglected to teach me, over their loudass telenovelas (bitches need hearing aid) while the maid tried her best to kill me with copious amounts of bleach. You're welcome.
> 
> Also, is anyone else annoyed by how every single goddamn writer describes their female lead as "feisty"? For the love of fuck, stop it. Fucking. Stop it. Ugh.

**Seven: It's Okay to Be Confused**

**(Wonderful World by J Rabbit)**

The hotel Inuyasha had taken them to was an actual hotel this time, not one of the scary motels Kagome had become accustomed to. Even so, it was nicer than what she had been expecting. Marble floors, fountains everywhere, beautifully painted scenes and designs on the ceilings. She could barely take it all in, though, focused as she was on trying to sneak Shippo in past whatever prying eyes that could be about. Inuyasha had canceled the reservation of what was supposed to be her room and refused to pay for an extra occupant, no matter how much she pretended to cry, but she was determined to keep the little kitsune with her. He was just so cute and he fit perfectly in her purse! His little tail peeked out a bit, but it just looked like some sort of bag accessory.

Smiling too wide at the front desk clerk as Inuyasha checked them in, Kagome kept one hand in the currently human half-demon's and one hand on her purse strap. Inuyasha had been surprised when she'd held his hand of her own free will, not realizing it was only because she didn't trust him to go and try and reveal their tag-along's existence to the authorities. It felt nice to touch him like this, anyway. Comforting, on some level. Realizing the transaction was finished, she tugged him away, barely giving him time to get the key cards. The elevator was a work of art in itself, but she was more focused on clutching the trembling purse to her side, trying to give the small boy some measure of calm.

Their room was on the top floor of the very tall building, but she didn't even think of running to the large window that took up one entire side of the room and sneaking a view. Unzipping her purse, careful not to snag Shippo's fur or hair, she braced herself for the impact she knew was coming, embracing the little boy. Kagome could feel his heart pounding, like he really thought they were going to be caught and he'd be shipped off somewhere.

"Your wounds are almost completely healed," Kagome marveled, inspecting his small person. "Would you like to take a quick shower before bed?"

Shippo nodded just as his stomach began to growl loudly.

"Here's some money for the vending machine," Inuyasha muttered, handing the boy a five. "No restaurants are open right now, and I'm too fucking tired to take you both to one, anyway."

Without another word to or a look back at them, Shippo was out the door, apparently having gotten over his paranoia of capture.

Kagome sighed and sat down on the bed, allowing her tense muscles to relax. Her work was undone when Inuyasha gracelessly flopped down beside her, face down in a pillow. He muttered something she couldn't quite make out, and she crawled over beside him, peering at him curiously.

"What?"

He raised his head the slightest bit, glaring at her from behind a curtain of dark hair. "I _said_ that I don't fuckin' like that kid. I don't want him traveling with us."

She turned up her nose and crossed her arms, facing away from him on her knees. "That's not your decision to make."

"I'm fucking paying for everything, aren't I!?"

Kagome knew she had overused this, but she pouted down at him anyway. "But you said I could do whatever I wanted!"

Inuyasha growled at her, for a minute looking as feral as he did when his demonic blood flowed freely through his veins. She didn't have time to react before he was suddenly on top of her, pinning her to the mattress. His entire body was pressed into hers, the feeling so intimate it took her breath away and left her face on fire.

"You keep saying that, but what about what I want..."

The words set off her temper and she unconsciously bared her teeth at him, putting all her fire into her glare. She wanted him off of her, now. Without realizing what she was doing, she pressed back against him, angrily trying to buck him off. The position he had forced her into, however, only served so that they were now basically dry humping, grinding against each other.

Inuyasha's mouth fell open in a silent moan, and it was only then that their rather compromising position fully dawned on her. Kagome went completely still, appalled at her, though unwitting, wanton action.

"G-get off," she squeaked weakly, shrinking back into the pillows as his face neared hers.

"Kagome," he murmured, deaf to her small protest, and then his lips were on hers and her blood roared in her ears.

The girl's mind raced as she allowed herself to be kissed once again by the last man who should have been kissing her. She was kissing Inuyasha. Inuyasha, the ancient and infuriating demonic being who was her half-brother, confusing demon culture be damned. Oh, what would her mother say!? Unexpectedly, the thought inflamed her.

Fuck her mother— No, fuck _Izayoi_. What had she ever really done for her? Nothing a real mother did. Oh, sure, she liked playacting that they were close, taking her shopping and watching a movie with her sometimes, teaching her how to cook, but there was always that distance in her eyes she could never hide, like she'd rather be somewhere else. She didn't want to be anyone's obligation anymore. Inuyasha liked her, he really liked her. It didn't matter what for or why or for how long. All that mattered was that he did.

Kagome's hands stopped pushing at his shoulders, one tangling in his hair while the other chose to grip his thin t-shirt. Inuyasha groaned into the kiss, his erection rubbing between her legs more insistently. She wiggled back, opening her legs wider, feeling rewarded when her skirt rode up and the friction of his jeans against her panty-covered pussy made her entire body tingle. Gods, she could feel how wet she was. How wrong it was. She didn't think it was possible, but the kiss became even more passionate, more darts of the tongue and nips of the teeth than slamming their lips together.

One of his hands, still as calloused as when it had claws, drifted from where it had been holding her chin in place and caressing the side of her face in turns, making its way down, down, down, thinking it was being sneaky. There was no way she could not notice the scalding trail it left along her skin, even through her clothes. Soon, it arrived at her hip, his fingers dancing little patterns across her flesh. Kagome knew what Inuyasha was trying to do. He wanted to take away the clothing that hid her from him, probably to woo her with his fingers before pleasuring himself anymore. He didn't want to scare her off.

She decided she wanted it. Fighting him would serve no purpose. She wouldn't give him _everything_ he wanted, however. That would just be stupid. But there was no reason why she should deny herself pleasure, even if it came from Inuyasha.

"Hey, you guys! The vending machine's out of Oreos but I really want Oreos!"

The high-pitched voice exploded in her brain and her body reacted before she could control it. With one big lunge, Inuyasha was finally off of her, though she had been a bit overzealous and dumped him on the floor.

"S-sorry about that, Shippo," Kagome said, hoping she sounded normal.

Shippo hopped on the bed, his face covered in white powder. "I got donuts instead, but they don't taste good at all."

Inuyasha was glaring at the boy, murder in his eyes. Kagome couldn't help but laugh. Gently, she grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and wiped the mess off Shippo's face.

"G'night, Kag'me," Shippo mumbled, burrowing into her before he fell into a dead sleep.

She sighed, stroking the little boy's hair. Kagome could practically feel the heat of Inuyasha's anger. Sighing, she lay down, taking a moment to appreciate the incredibly fluffy pillows. Everything felt soft and smelled clean. It was nice to not have to worry about bed bugs for the first time in a while.

"Come to bed, Inuyasha," she whispered. A little bit of guilt pushed at her conscience. She was leading him on to make her family angry, to prove something to herself, to provide a distraction. Then there was the whole arrangement they had with him paying for school, hoping for something more from her. It was wrong.

Inuyasha groaned lightly, clearly exasperated. "That's really not how I wanted to hear that the first time."

She giggled, and he smiled at her, this time carefully getting on the bed so as to avoid waking Shippo. They were both on their sides, facing each other. The lighting was only just dim enough for her to sleep, and she didn't think Inuyasha would be willing to get up and turn it off now that he was all settled. They were all tired after such a crazy day.

On impulse, Kagome reached out her hand, grabbing Inuyasha's. His eyes opened, startled, before they softened. Sweeping his thumb in a smooth caress on her skin, he brought her hand to his mouth, giving her the smallest kiss on her little finger.

So much was communicated through the brief gesture. Kagome didn't understand a bit of it, but she went to sleep with a smile on her lips anyway.

**O\o/O**

It was still dark outside when she woke up, though just barely. Kagome wasn't sure what exactly had made her waken so suddenly, but for the life of her she just could not drift off again. Inuyasha was still facing her, though their hands had come unlinked sometime during the night. With nothing better to do, she watched him. He slept soundlessly, breathing deep and even. She knew she had a tendency to talk and laugh and once, according to her friends at one of their sleepovers, sing quietly in her sleep. Added to that, she moved about a lot, kicking and moving her arms, rolling this way and that. None of that had happened since beginning the road trip with Inuyasha. She thought it was because she was just that powerfully self-conscious.

So subtly she barely noticed it, his hair began to lighten before bleeding back into the silvery moonlight she had so quickly become accustomed to. It was fascinating, and her heart began to pump faster, pounding against her rib cage.

Inuyasha's newly returned ears twitched and his eyes opened lazily. They were gold, and she felt somehow relieved. For a moment, they stayed like that, just staring at each other. It became too intense and she glanced away, watching out of the corner of her eye as he went about his morning routine, gathering his bathing supplies as he moved to the bathroom.

It took twice as long as it usually did to get them out of the room and on the road. They barely made it before check-out time. Kagome stewed angrily, sitting in the backseat with Shippo, glaring at Inuyasha. She just could not get over the way he'd acted that morning, the jackass!

It had all started when she'd knocked on the door to the bathroom while he was still inside. He was taking way too long, much longer than ever before. Inuyasha liked to pester her about the time she took to make herself ready, asking what she looked like under all the make-up, if she was really that hideous. She hardly wore any, dammit! And now here he was, hogging the bathroom, when she had hair that needed to be washed and a kitsune who needed to pee.

"Inuya _sha_!" she whined, shaking the doorknob again. "What's taking so long!?"

He grunted. "You're welcome to come help me..." he said tensely in what was almost too low a voice for her to hear. Almost.

"Ew," she complained, immediately envisioning him on the toilet. Perhaps he'd left the shower on so no one would hear. "You don't have to be all gross about it. I'll leave you to your, uh, duty."

Shippo snickered behind her. "Doodie's not what he's doing in there."

Kagome fought against rolling her eyes. "That's not what I—" The meaning of the fox demon's words slowly filtered through her brain and into understanding. Her face flamed red and she jumped away from the door as if it was on fire. She wondered if he was thinking about her. About what they had done last night. Maybe about what they had almost done.

"Let's watch cartoons until dumbass gets out of the bathroom!"

She was too caught up in her thoughts to correct Shippo on his language. They watched cartoons for no more than ten minutes before Inuyasha finally reappeared, looking refreshed, invigorated, and relaxed.

"Let's go take a quick shower, Shippo!" Kagome said in what she hoped was a normal voice.

The boy gave a mournful look at the television set before getting to his feet, trudging towards the bathroom.

"The fuck do you think you're doing?"

Kagome didn't even glance at him. "We have to be super fast after you took so long. I hope you, uh, cleaned the hair out of the drain and all..."

"You're showering separately."

"Why?" she asked, confused. Family bath time, though rare, was some of the most fun she could remember from her childhood. It was like a tiny pool where everyone just talked and relaxed and she could play with her toys. They didn't have time for that, though doubling up was still practical since they had to get back on the road.

"I don't want CPS on my ass after we ditch him."

Her face colored in anger and she stomped over to him. "What. Are you. Implying," she hissed from between clenched teeth.

He rolled his eyes. "Just take a fuckin' shower by yourself, Kagome. It ain't gonna kill ya."

"He's too little to bathe by himself!" she protested. "He could drown."

Inuyasha walked over to the bathroom door and knocked to get Shippo's attention. "Kagome thinks you're dumb enough to drown in the shower."

Her mouth dropped open and she ran over to him. "I never said that!"

"I can do it myself! I'm old enough!"

"But Shippo—"

"That settles it, Kagome. Let's go watch cartoons." Grabbing her elbow, he directed his voice towards the door, "I want you out in five, runt."

Shippo had taken twenty minutes, and by the time it was her turn, she barely had time to shampoo and scrub. Drying her hair, putting on lotion, and applying make-up were all out of the question. When she was finished, she felt naked and vulnerable.

"So that's what's been hiding under all that paint and grease," Inuyasha said, wrinkling his nose. "Now I know why it takes for-fucking-ever to get you out."

Kagome had stomped on his foot as hard as she could and hadn't spoken to him since.

"Kagome?"

"Yes, Shippo?" she said for what must have been the fifteenth time since they'd been in the car. It was a struggle to keep her tone light.

"Where are we going?"

"Uh, a lot of places. We're on a trip."

"Oh. When will we get to the next place?"

She shrugged.

"Can we go to that place?" He pointed to a dinky, handmade cardboard sign on the side of the road.

_Sennin Orchards. Once you see our peaches, you'll never leave!_

Inuyasha answered for her. "No. Now pipe down."

To her amazement, Shippo stayed quiet until another of the signs popped up a few minutes later, bearing the same message but with the addition of miles until the exit.

"I wanna have a picnic!" he chirped, pasting his face against the window. "Let's go there!"

"A picnic sounds lovely," Kagome said, fondly stroking his hair.

Inuyasha snorted. "That sounds boring. How 'bout a club?"

Her brow furrowed. "It would be hard to sneak Shippo in, and I don't think that kind of atmosphere would be good for him."

"We should just get rid of him, then."

Shippo burst into noisy tears and Kagome unbuckled her seatbelt, doing the best she could to comfort him.

"Dammit, Inuyasha, we are not leaving Shippo anywhere! Stop upsetting us, you ass."

Cradling Shippo to her, she cooed little nonsense words at him, attempting to soothe. Without warning, Inuyasha growled and reached back, bopping Shippo on the head hard enough that she could hear the noise of the impact.

"Inuyasha!" she shrieked, appalled.

"That little bastard smirked at me! He's doing this shit on purpose."

"That doesn't make child abuse okay!"

Inuyasha glared at them in the rearview mirror. "You win, you little shit. We'll have a fucking picnic, but you better shut your mouth from now on."

Kagome glanced warily at Shippo. Was he really some puppet master, manipulating her just as Inuyasha claimed? His big green eyes looked up at her and he stuck his thumb in his mouth. All other thoughts not pertaining to his adorableness flew out the window and she cuddled him closer. To Inuyasha's obvious annoyance, she spent the rest of the ride teaching the little fox nursery rhymes and songs.

It was late afternoon by the time they arrived at the orchard. The dirt parking lot was big and full of cars. Kagome glanced at how poorly taken care of some of them looked, wondering how they could have even been driven to the orchard. There was a stand at the entrance, though it was boarded up. Was it closed?

Shippo bounded out of the car and past the abandoned stand, frolicking in the grass and chasing his own tail. It made her bust out laughing, and her laughter only intensified when she thought of Inuyasha doing the same thing. Did he ever feel tempted? It was more traditionally canine behavior, after all. She got out of the car, running after Shippo, and Inuyasha followed.

"This place smells weird," he said. "And there ain't a fucking person in sight. But look at all the cars!"

Kagome shrugged. "Maybe there's an event or something somewhere else on the grounds."

What she really cared about was getting something to eat. She'd had no dinner last night and no breakfast or lunch, and she was starving. Anything would've looked good to her then. Just as she thought that, her eyes fell on a tree a little further in the distance, branches heavy with ripe peaches. Kagome carefully walked towards it, trying to ignore the half-demon practically on her heels. There was no one around. No one would mind just one missing fruit. She'd pay for it (or make Inuyasha pay for it, really)...if they caught her.

The branches were low enough for her to pluck a fruit just by standing on her tiptoes. The smell was sweet, intoxicating in her present state. Bringing it to her face, she was about to take a bite when she heard a soft noise, almost a buzzing. Something tickled her hand, and she panicked, thinking she'd grabbed a bee or some sort of disgusting bug and she'd be stung and it would hurt and she didn't even have any colorful band-aids and lollipops to cheer her up. Turning the fruit over in her hand, she didn't find any kind of insect, though she wished she had.

The fruit had a human face.

"Go baaaaaack," the face hissed faintly.

It took her a second to react, but then Kagome shut her eyes tight, screamed, and turned, chucking the fruit as far away from herself as she could, which just so happened to be right at Inuyasha's head.

Inuyasha yelped, batting the talking fruit away. "Why the fuck would you throw that thing at me, bitch!?"

"We have to get out of here!" she shrieked, fisting his shirt. Her hands were trembling and she thrummed with adrenaline.

"No shit," he muttered, grabbing her hand and tugging her back in the direction the car. "Wait... Where the fuck is the kid?"

Kagome felt the blood drain from her face. "Shippo..." she whispered in agony.

"Come on," he said impatiently, going in the opposite direction. "I think I saw him by that hill over there."

The hill was small, and weirdly squishy, getting squishier the more they walked on it. Kagome felt like she should be sinking through the mud, but it held.

"Shippo!" she called out, stumbling a bit. "Shippo, where are you? You're scaring me!"

Inuyasha righted her, his hands around her waist. They were so close. Again. It looked like he was about to say something.

The ground beneath their feet began to shake and she screamed again, this time considerately covering Inuyasha's ears. He glared at her, but tightened his arms around her anyway, jumping into the air and off the hill. The ground was steady now.

"What was that?" she asked, forgetting she still covered his ears.

His eyes were wide, still on the hill they'd just vacated. Kagome removed her hands, grateful that he kept his in the same place, and looked in the direction he was so focused on. It continued to visibly shake. To her astonishment, little bits of dirt and grass were being shaken off, dropping to the ground one clump at a time to reveal...a man. A giant, flabby man.

It took him a few tries and many wheezing breaths, but finally he was on his feet. He gingerly brushed off the dirt from his overalls. Kagome and Inuyasha continued to watch, stunned.

"Who the fuck are you?" Inuyasha asked, looking as confused as she felt.

The giant man grinned at them, exposing his eerily sharp teeth. "I am Tōkajin, the sage and evil farmer."

There was a second of silence before Inuyasha burst out laughing, separating from Kagome to walk up to the guy.

"An evil farmer? Seriously? Old McDonald had a farm, ee-i-ee-i-BOO!" He could barely talk without laughing. It was infectious enough that even Kagome, still somewhat frightened, began to giggle as well.

Tōkajin's smile widened, something she did not believe possible. Seemingly from nowhere, he pulled out a pitchfork and stabbed Inuyasha, impaling him with enough force that it went straight through him. The prongs stuck firmly in the ground and his body slid down the wooden handle, turning it red.

His laughter ceased, though the open smile remained, a little more relaxed. A small trickle of blood escaped his lips, briefly distracting her from the blooming crimson stain on the shirt she'd been clinging to not five minutes ago.

Inuyasha was dead.

The evil farmer turned to her, his wheezing laugh nothing like the robust one of Inuyasha's that had been silenced forever.

"You're coming with me, cunt."

Kagome's knees buckled.

_Shit._


	8. What's a Girl to Do?

**Eight: What’s a Girl to Do?**

**(What’s a Girl to Do by Bat for Lashes)**

The room was dimly lit, the only source of light being a few flickering candles that smelled like vanilla and cinnamon. Kagome’s heart beat faster and faster in her chest as she looked at the man across from her. The plush velvet-covered chair she was sitting in suddenly felt confining. He scared her. His form, so much larger than hers, was enough on its own to intimidate her, never mind the intense way he was looking at her.

That was all she could think about. Him.

The man went down on one knee, bringing him eye to eye with her. As he brought his face closer and closer to hers, she tried not to flinch away. Was this truly fear, or something else? Anticipation? Maybe even...passion?

Inuyasha ghosted his lips across her skin before pulling away, classic smirk visible on his face.

“Wanna yiff?” he squeaked in Shippo’s voice.

**O\o/O**

Kagome snorted awake, closing her open and drooling mouth. Confused, she wondered when she had gone to sleep sitting up and why her head ached. The last thing she remembered, they had been driving somewhere, Shippo and Inuyasha fighting like they always did, but then...

It came back to her with a flash at the same time she realized she was naked and in a giant tub. Covering her mouth, desperately trying not to scream lest it bring any more unsavory characters her way, she took in her surroundings, eyes so wide open it hurt. The room was dark, a couple torches burning on the walls. It was enough to illuminate her immediate location but not much else. As far as she could tell, she was alone in the room.

“ _Go baaaack..._ ”

The gargling little voices were all around her and she nearly lost it and screamed bloody murder. Before she exploded into a panic attack, she saw the bobbing peaches in the bath with her, whispering the same words over and over again without ceasing. The peaches reminded her of Inuyasha, and she remembered the last time she’d seen him. His body torn through, flesh distorted with ragged wounds, empty smile on his face, eyes blank. The scene triggered tears and she began to sob as quietly as she could. He was gone. Inuyasha was dead. That pitchfork was gigantic and she shuddered as she remembered the sound of it scraping against his bones and shattering a few of them, her stomach heaving. There was no way anyone could survive that, not even the infuriating, disgusting, terrible, wonderful man she could hardly remember life without.

“Inuyasha!” she gave in and quietly whimpered, wishing he was with her. Kagome couldn’t even hear herself think, let alone say his name. The stupid fruits kept moaning the same two words again and again. A sudden rage flared to life within her and she grabbed the biggest one she could find. “Shut up!” she shrieked, holding it under the water, wanting to drown it. Was that even possible? She grabbed a few more and repeated her desperate action, tears running down her breast and into the lukewarm water.

A door opened at the far end of the room, outside of her circle of light, and she went completely still. Part of her wanted to duck down under the water, but she figured whoever had stashed her here knew where she was and there was no use hiding from them. Her time to flee had been wasted with mourning. Stupid Inuyasha, she thought as her heart ached.

The slow, dragging footsteps made her afraid and incredibly tense, but when she saw who it was, all she felt was an almost blinding hatred. Tōkajin, the evil and morbidly obese farmer, was grinning at her with his artificially sharp teeth.

“I see you’re awake, cunt. I hit you so hard that for a second there I thought I fucked up and killed you.”

“Murderer!” Kagome hissed shakily. Her voice was not as strong as her feelings.

“Whore,” he drawled back calmly, eyes on her breasts.

A choked laugh was all she could reply with for a few seconds, her hands shaking and itching to wrap around his neck, if only she could find it. “Of course a freak like you could only get laid by abducting and raping a woman. It’s not like anyone would willingly fuck you. They’d probably suffocate and die and be bones by the time you caught your breath and rolled off of them.”

Her words didn’t seem to affect him as his face remained smiling. “I’m not going to rape you, whore. I’m going to eat you.”

All thoughts of Inuyasha flew out of Kagome’s head and were replaced with thoughts of her imminent demise. Panicking, she churned in the water for a little, and righted herself by putting a hand on the tub. It burned her a little and she squeaked in pain. Why the hell was the outside of the tub so hot? And then it came to her. It wasn’t a tub, it was a goddamn _pot_ and Kagome Stew Surprise was on the menu. Her mind started working a mile a minute, wondering how to get out of this mess. There was no way she could fight him, no way she could sneak past him, no way she could successfully call for help.

What secret strength did she have left?

“Ummm... Are you, uh, sure you don’t want to rape me?” she asked, her voice more high-pitched than was normal. Kagome tried to discreetly cough but ended up choking on her own spit. God damn it, why couldn’t she be sexy now that she needed it!?

Paddling over to the front of the pot where Tōkajin was stirring a ladle and sampling the water, she attempted to pose seductively, a tremulous smile on her face. Arching her back, she rested her arms on the rim of the pot, even though it hurt a bit, and tried to look natural.

He barely glanced at her. “Not gonna work, and you’re not the first to try, but you’re probably in the top five hottest. I don’t have the energy for screwing even if I wanted to.”

Kagome bit her lip and released it, forcing her jaw to be gentle lest she tear through her own flesh. Letting her tongue linger on her plump pink bottom lip as if in thought, she bounced up and down excitedly in her imitation of a bimbo with a rare idea.

“Oooh, but what if I do all the work? Think about it. Me on top of you, doing...stuff. To you. And your body. With my, uh, vagina?”

Tōkajin finally put down the ladle and seemed to seriously consider her proposition, eyes roaming over all her exposed parts. Kagome briefly considered standing and putting one leg on the rim of the pot, but decided that would just be overdoing it. Just when she was about to duck down into the water and plunge out, flipping her hair like a sexy mermaid, he clapped his hands once and grinned wider than ever before.

“I guess I could always fuck you now and then have you again as a midnight snack. Maybe you’ll taste better with a cream filling.”

It was a struggle to keep smiling, but Kagome managed. Barely. At least she avoided projectile vomiting.

“Great!” she chirped, inwardly sighing in relief. There would be a chance to escape when he let his guard down. There might be a set of keys in one of the cars outside, or she could just run as fast as was possible until she came upon a car or a building. She doubted he could keep up with her.

“Stay in the pot for now,” he commanded. “We’ll test your mouth here and see if you’re good enough. I might have soup for dinner after all.”

With trembling hands, Kagome reached up to unbuckle his dirty overalls, half afraid she would faint before she’d be able to get away. Tugging down the pants until they fell bunched around his ankles, her eyes watered at both the unwashed smell of male genitalia and thoughts of Inuyasha. In that moment, she realized that somehow she’d thought the first time she’d be doing this, she’d be doing it with him. And now they never would.

Despite the freakishly large size of everything else about Tōkajin, his penis was small. Very, very small. Kagome almost didn’t find it underneath and between all the discolored rolls of fat. It was already erect, she discovered reluctantly when she accidentally brushed against it in her search. Even though he was hard, his penis was still ridiculously tiny, about the length and width of her thumb, and her digits were small and slender. She tried not to laugh, telling herself to look on the bright side: her job was going to be easy and losing her virginity wouldn’t even be slightly uncomfortable.

Looking at it with the eye of a medical professional, she took a deep breath through her mouth, closed her eyes, opened her mouth not very wide, and–

A loud noise stopped her right where the tip of the farmer’s penis would be if it had been average. The door had opened again, and someone ran in, moving so fast the torches flickered and nearly went out. Almost instantly, the newcomer entered into the visible portion of the room, and at first Kagome didn’t comprehend it.

Inuyasha.

He had arrived. But how? He was dead. For heaven’s sake, he still had the fucking pitchfork in his torso! Face twisted in rage, Inuyasha didn’t even cringe as he removed the tool from his body and relentlessly stabbed Tōkajin with it, tearing the farmer apart even more than he had done to him, the powerful blow digging in and ripping with a graphic squelching noise she knew she’d never forget. It had all happened so fast that the obese man’s eyes had never left her face, glittering with a sick, lazy lust.

Greasy blood poured out of the farmer and onto her face, filling her mouth which had remained open in shock. Tōkajin collapsed to the ground, falling hard enough to rattle every object in the room, but Inuyasha still did not stop stabbing him, his expression having since relaxed into something calm but still hard, no longer passionate in his revenge, steadily and methodically finishing his enemy. Getting to her feet despite her wobbling knees, Kagome cried without realizing it, her tears making tracks in the blood on her face.

“I-Inuyasha!” she shouted, trying to bring his attention away from his task.

It took a couple seconds, but he finally stopped, dropping the pitchfork the ground with a loud clatter before turning to look at her, drenched in blood from head to toe. It would have been thoroughly frightening if she wasn’t so happy to see him again. Without a word, he took her from the pot, lifting her straight out of it and into his arms, embracing her so tightly she couldn’t breathe until he remembered she was only human and adjusted his grip.

“Kagome,” he whispered into her hair, following her name with an almost canine whine. “Kagome, thank the gods. Thank the _gods_. You’re alive.”

Too stunned at the warm, solid, real feeling of him in her arms to continue crying, Kagome just pressed herself as closely into him as she could. She couldn’t do anything but say his name over and over again, pressing her face into his bloody chest, listening to the beautiful beat of his heart.

“You’re alive,” he stated again, pulling away from her but holding her upper arms.

“Yeah,” she replied, confused at his abrupt separation. She wondered what he had been doing the entire time she had been soaking and freaking out and conspiring to fuck her way to freedom.

“And you’re naked,” he observed unnecessarily. His eyes looked her over more with a critical eye searching for injuries than any desire. “That’s all I could think about when I almost died back there. You naked and willing with me. The gods do work in mysterious ways.”

Kagome rolled her eyes, understanding he felt compelled to lighten the mood. As a reward for him staying alive, she let him look a little longer as she scooped some water from the tub and rinsed the blood off her face and chest. She didn’t have time to get it all off, but she did the best she could. When she was finished, Inuyasha handed her his shirt, leaving him in just his jeans. It was torn through and soaked in blood, but she needed something to cover her so it would have to do. Discreetly, she admired his naked and quickly healing torso as she dressed. Damn, but that man was sculpted by some kind of particularly gifted god of the all things beautiful. Even though she had seen all of him several times before, somehow he just kept getting more attractive to her eyes.

Once she was dressed, she grabbed his hand, lacing his fingers with hers, wanting to keep constant physical contact with him, feeling almost like a scared little girl. Losing him had been earth shattering, and she hadn’t even fully comprehended his apparent death. She had a feeling that once they got out of there and to the next hotel, she’d cry for hours.

“Let’s get out of here,” she whispered, glancing at the large corpse. A part of her was afraid he’d somehow rise to his feet and come after them.

She must have jinxed it, because no sooner had she finished her sentence than Tōkajin’s entire body shuddered and began to move. Quicker than she thought possible for a man of his weight, he rolled to his feet, laughing maniacally with a somewhat hoarser voice. He picked up the pitchfork, which Kagome was beginning to suspect was some sort of magical murder-resurrection thing, and pointed it at them, eyes narrowing in a glare even as he continued to smile.

“It’s not over yet. This is my land, and I am a hunter. You don’t stand one fucking chance.”

Inuyasha sneered at him, and she could tell by the look on his face that he wanted to kill the man all over again and probably would have if she hadn’t been quaking with fear next to him, squeezing his hand and mentally urging him to just get them out of there. Glancing at her, his face softened momentarily and then he turned back to the farmer, features set.

“I’ll be damned if I’m going to be hunted and caught by the likes of you, McLardass.”

Never once turning his back on their enemy, Inuyasha crouched down, dragged her onto his back, and went out the door and into the night. The chase was on, but Kagome couldn’t help but feel that the two teams weren’t equally matched. Inuyasha was running fast enough that she felt like she was on a motorcycle, and meanwhile their opponent could barely move. She almost opened her mouth to laugh in triumph, but stopped when she thought she might catch bugs that way.

And then _Tōkajin_ laughed in triumph, inches behind her.

Kagome and Inuyasha turned their heads as one, craning their necks and blowing their long hair out of their eyes to be sure that what they were seeing was correct. The evil farmer was flying, not on a broom, but just plain old flying, looking like he was sitting on an invisible magic carpet, lazy even when performing such an extraordinary feat.

“Holy shit,” Inuyasha hissed, and suddenly they were going even faster than before, so fast that Kagome had to shut her eyes to avoid the pain from the wind. Her hands clutched Inuyasha’s shoulders even harder, feeling how tense he was and becoming tense herself.

It took a while, Kagome couldn’t say how long, but suddenly Tōkajin’s cackling was no longer near them. Inuyasha came to an abrupt stop at the base of a giant tree and carelessly dumped her onto the ground. If she had been expecting it, she would have been prepared to land on her feet, but as it was she landed hard on her ass. Glaring at him, her expression soon softened when she saw how he could barely keep from panting, his hands covering his reopened bleeding wounds. Tears filling her eyes, Kagome placed a hand on his, wishing she had the power to heal him.

“Why didn’t you kill him back there?” she whispered.

He shrugged. “Thought I did.”

“Is he immortal?”

Inuyasha shook his head and slid down the tree trunk until he was sitting, sprawled out. She settled beside him, not even an inch away. “Nah, he’s just really massive. I don’t think I was able to hit anything vital.”

Truly, Tōkajin was a formidable opponent. “Did you see Shippo at all?”

“Nope,” he murmured distractedly.

His golden eyes had ceased to inspect his injuries and now were focused on her, tracing her curves. She knew the shirt was sticking to her wet skin. She knew what she must look like to him. Her nipples hardened in the cool air and she was suddenly filled with an overwhelming gratitude that she was away from that awful place and with Inuyasha. It was better to be eye fucked by the evil you know than the evil you don’t know.

“I was so afraid,” she whimpered, seeking the comfort of his arms.

“Kagome,” he said in a low voice. Something about the way he said her name made her look him in the eye, drew her even closer. “Kagome, don’t ever leave my side from now on.”

As though they’d just absorbed the fact that they had been so close to losing one another before and that it may happen again, their lips connected, fervently communicating with each other things they didn’t know how to put into words, things they hardly even acknowledged in their own private thoughts.

“ _Go baaack..._ ”

“Dammit!” she cursed after ripping her lips away.

The peaches in the trees had been awoken by their presence, and now one after another they were saying the same thing, over and over, just as they had in the tub. The way this was going, they’d alert Tōkajin to their presence. Kagome felt like she’d go crazy if they spent another minute in the place. Inuyasha seemed to agree, glaring at the fruits and dragging her on to his back again, taking off at the same incredibly fast speed he’d used before. This time, Kagome forced her eyes to remain open in case she somehow got separated from Inuyasha and had to find a hiding place. There were no electric lights around, just the barely there glow of the moon and stars. Whispers and giggles from the unearthly fruits hanging in the trees echoed in the orchard, bouncing back here and there and making her confused while increasing her fright.

The place was huge. Would it ever end, or were they stuck in some sort of enchantment?

Inuyasha collapsed, body folding in half as he hit the ground in an attempt to shield his injured torso. Kagome rolled to his side, her heart beating like crazy. They were done for. Some part of her just knew it. The place sucked out her optimism and now she could feel it being replaced with an almost overwhelming fear, a dread beyond words.

“Why, h’llo there, young man, missy.”

The friendly voice with an unmistakable country accent almost made her think she was hallucinating. When she determined that the source of the voice was a giant potted flower with an old man’s face right in the middle of the petals, she was sure she was hallucinating.

“What the fuck,” she groaned, dropping her face into her hands as she almost burst into hysterical tears.

“The hell are you?” Inuyasha grunted.

His acknowledgement of her hallucination made Kagome feel slightly better, and she peeked through a separation in her fingers.

The old man was glowing whiter than the petals that surrounded his visage, a genial expression on his face.

“My name is Sennin. This here’s my orchard.”

Inuyasha’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “I thought this place belonged to Tōkajin.”

The flower man, or Sennin, rather, nodded once. “That’s my boy, awright.”

“That fat sadist is your son?” Kagome was having a very hard time keeping her voice down, but just barely managed.

He sighed. “Yes’m, he always was a hefty chile. Soon, his ma’s home cooked meals weren’t enough. We tried to do right by Mother Gaia, raised the boy vegan an’ all, but gosh darn it, he somehow developed a taste for the flesh of our brother animals.”

Kagome’s mouth dropped open. First talking fruits, then a magic fat man, then two resurrections in a row, then a hick hippie? One unbelievable thing after another! A girl could only take so much.

“That fuckin’ explains it,” Inuyasha grumbled. “Of course he’s a goddamn psychopath. I would be too if I was forced to eat tofu instead of steak. Fuck. I actually feel a little bad for the guy now.”

Sennin continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “Yessir, first he done et the house pets, then the farm animals, then the farm hands, then me an’ his ma, Goddess rest her soul until the next life.”

“How did you become a flower?” Kagome asked. “And what’s up with the talking peaches?”

He shrugged as best as he could in his current state. “Hell if I know, missy.”

“I should have eaten your flower face when I had the chance, Pa.”

Kagome’s neck hurt from how fast she turned around. It was Tōkajin, alright, big and even more menacing than before. His wicked smile exposed every brutally sharp tooth.

“And you,” Tōkajin said, turning to Kagome. She began to tremble, and it made him release a high-pitched giggle when he noticed. “I would have made you my wife. Kept you fat with my children, a steady supply of meat.”

Tears of fright trekked down her face, disgust and helplessness welling up in her and making her sob.

Inuyasha struggled to his feet, small beads of sweat on his forehead. “Kagome would die before she let herself be touched by an abomination like you!”

Kagome stiffened. Shit, she knew they should have run instead of wasting their time talking to the vegan flower.

Tōkajin giggled again. “That cunt offered herself to me. Go on, tell your boyfriend. He deserves to know about us.”

Inuyasha scoffed at the man, but the look on her face made him stare hard at her. “Is it true, Kagome?” he said, disbelief coloring his tone.

Kagome’s tears stopped, dried up by anger. She shot up to her feet and glared at the three men surrounding her, judging her. “It’s not like I had a choice! Hotness is my only weapon, dammit!”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “We’ll talk about this in the car.”

Completely bypassing Inuyasha, Tōkajin came straight at her, meaty fist raised and fully prepared to descend. Kagome briefly imagined her head exploding on impact, a fine mist of blood and her valuable gray matter with tiny white shards of skull littering the grass, all that was left of her above the neck. So concentrated was she on this image that it didn’t even register when the half-demon dove in front of her like a member of the secret service taking a bullet for the president whose life he’d sworn to protect. Inuyasha went down like a ton of bricks and landed partially on her feet, the small bit of pain she experienced shocking her into action. Heedless of the murderous farmer above them, she knelt next to Inuyasha, wondering if it had truly only been last night that she’d been in such a similar situation.

“Why do you keep doing this, Inuyasha?” she whispered, holding back her tears lest they fall on his face and upset him.

Inuyasha grinned up at her, showing off his newly broken smile. “You already know, Kagome. You already know.”

Tōkajin grabbed Inuyasha by the hair and lifted him to his eye level.

“I’ve never tasted half-demon before. You’re a tough one, so I’ll have to tenderize you extra good.” His fist drove into Inuyasha’s bare wounded torso again and again.

“Hey there, missy, you wanna save your pimp, Inu-whatsa?”

“Yes!” Kagome screeched desperately, crawling over to the flower-man. “Wait, he’s not my pimp–”

“I warn’t placed in this dimension to judge, missy. Freely expressing yourself through the use of sexual organs glorifies the Goddess and empowers us all. It’s the patriarchy that forces us into wage slavery–”

“Just tell me how I can save Inuyasha!”

Sennin’s flower form twisted and closed in on itself, stem twisting and changing colors, and then sitting in the pot was a bow and three arrows. The old man’s face surrounded by petals was laying in the dirt, the light quickly fading from him. Kagome gathered the tools in her arms, leaving two of the arrows in the pot, and rounded on the fighting men, a cry of despair leaving her lips as she saw Inuyasha cough up a wet ball of blood as Tōkajin kicked him in the stomach. The half-demon was growling and scratching at his legs, but it was obvious he’d taken a few blows to the head too many to be useful, the majority for her sake.

Willing her shaking hands to become steady, Kagome carefully aimed for the cannibal’s left eye. The large man wasn’t moving too much, so she felt as confident as she could feel under the circumstances that she’d hit her target or at least very near it. Whispering a prayer, she let go of the arrow, watching it pierce the air.

...Only to have it suddenly lose altitude and hit Inuyasha in the thigh.

“Sorry!” Kagome squeaked in dismay.

Her only reply was a string of unintelligible, garbled curses.

Tōkajin momentarily stopped beating Inuyasha, laughing too hard to multi-task. “Fucking shit, you’re literally five feet from us! What a dumb bitch. The only way you’d even have a chance against me is if you ate a human-faced fruit.”

Sick of failure, her throat tight and burning, Kagome knew that she’d do anything to save Inuyasha, even something as disgusting as eating a creepy talking peach. Since she was so short, she had to jump to reach even the lowest branches, and there was still about an inch separating her from the most accessible fruit. It seemed to glare at her, the blank features smirking and whispering those same two words, not a warning but a taunt.

“Best not to do that, missy,” came the fading voice of Sennin. “Only the most diabolical and truly evil creatures can survive eating the fruit without turning into fruit themselves.”

“Then what do I do!?” she wailed, still jumping for the fruit, more to smack the stupid thing out of its comfy tree than anything else.

“The arrows I done gave you are magic! All you have to do is believe.”

Tōkajin stomped over to the pot and knelt down, true anger on his face, no mocking quality apparent any longer. Bracing his hands on the rim of the pot, he brought his face down low and yelled at the flower that had his father’s soul.

“That’s what you said about my soccer ball, Pa, but the other kids always made me the goalie anyway!”

“Well maybe if you weren’t so goshdang fat and did hot yoga with me an’ your Ma then they woulda included you!”

Screaming in wordless frustration, Tōkajin jumped to his feet and kicked the pot over, soil spilling out and burying the flower-man.

“I’m ending this!” he roared, face turned to the sky, voice so loud and powerful Kagome was convinced she heard some fruit fall from the trees.

The evil farmer stormed towards Kagome, who had since given up trying to pluck the forbidden fruit. She stood there, vaguely realizing she was in a state of shock and probably had been for quite a while. Maybe even since she had met Inuyasha.

The half demon, a bloody mess on the ground, realized that he was no longer being paid attention to and attempted to crawl towards where Kagome was, claws digging into the dirt.

“Hey, you fat fuck, come back over here! I’m not done kicking your ass yet!”

Tōkajin ignored him and backhanded Kagome. It felt like her face had broken somehow, her cheekbone in agony she’d never felt before. Her ears were ringing and she felt like she was in a dream. When had she fallen? Dazedly, she looked up at the man who had struck her, the first one to ever do so, and saw Inuyasha jump on his back, clawing at him with eyes as red as blood. Kagome knew there was no way he could win. The two of them didn’t possess magic like he did. Magic...

The leftover arrows were in the dirt from the upturned pot just inches from her. Reaching out, she grabbed hold of one, barely even feeling it. Could she do this? Of course. If she didn’t, then Inuyasha would die, and he wasn’t someone she could allow to die.

Kagome held the arrow like a spear and stabbed Tōkajin in his bare foot, just managing to dig in to his big toe.

The farmer looked down at her, his expression lit by a cold fire. “You little cunt, I swear I’ll–”

For the second time in one day, Kagome was covered in greasy blood. But this time, she was _covered,_ some of it shooting inside her nose as the man burst like a blood and fat-filled balloon. She heard Inuyasha fall with a thump in front of her, and a second later when there was no longer the sound of a pounding blood rain, she opened her eyes.

Safe and whole, though badly injured, Inuyasha was on his knees, gagging at the taste of the blood that had spurted into his mouth. A feeling of relief washed over her and she went over to him, ignoring the little squishy bits of flesh that littered the ground here and there.

“Are you okay?” she croaked, reaching out a hand to touch him, to be sure of him.

He slapped her hand away, golden eyes glaring at her. “First Kikyo, now this fucker!?”

It took Kagome a few seconds to understand what he was talking about, but then she got angry. “I didn’t exactly have a choice either of those times!”

“Keh. Whatever.”

Seeming nonchalant, he got up and walked away, only taking a few steps before he stumbled, nearly falling to meet the ground again. Her anger evaporated into concern and she went to his side, putting his arm around her shoulder even though he still attempted to avoid touching her. Seeing the distress on his face, she turned their physical contact into an embrace, snuggling into his neck, not caring about the sticky blood.

“Please just let me go on without interrupting or else I’ll stop,” Kagome mumbled, lips molding into his skin. She had no doubt he could hear every word she said even though she could barely hear herself. “This might be the concussion talking, but you are the only one I’ve willingly kissed a-and touched on this trip...without my life being in danger.” He tried to move and see her face, but she clung harder, burrowed further. “You’re my best friend, the best I ever had, and in a way, I think we’re soul mates, but like, in the friend way, like the platonic friend way, ‘cause it’s not like I’m into you or anything because that would be gross and wrong and weird ‘cause you’re gross and weird and way too old for me and a total pervert and you stole my boyfriend, and–”

Inuyasha pried her off of him and pushed her away only to bring her back with a tug, their lips coming together so spectacularly she swore she heard the clash of cymbals. It was an eternity before they separated, him ripping her away but still keeping her close, his strong grip on her upper arms.

“I’m the only one you’re ever allowed to kiss. I’m the only one you’re allowed to be with. Only me,” he said in a hoarse voice, his eyes so intense she wanted to look away but could not, would not.

“Yes, Inuyasha,” she whispered her consent, eyes drifting halfway closed as she swayed nearer to him, wanting to feel his lips again.

“Hey guys!”

“S-Shippo!?” Kagome quickly pushed Inuyasha away from her, eyes searching the darkness for the adopted fox. He bounded up to her and jumped into her arms, snuggling against her breast. “Where were you? Are you all right? I was so worried!”

He turned his big green eyes up at her and his lower lip trembled. “I was hungry so I ate some fruit but it hurt my tummy so I had to take a nap. I just woke up a little bit ago. Sowwy.”

Kagome nearly squealed out loud at how cute he was. “Aw, don’t worry, it’s okay. I’m just glad you’re back.”

“It’s _not_ okay,” Inuyasha growled, glaring venomously at the boy in her arms. “That little parasite fuck nearly got us all killed.”

“Inuyasha, don’t,” she said firmly, too exhausted to match him in anger.

He must have sensed her mood, because he didn’t say anything else, merely grumbling to himself as he led them back to the car, keen nose preventing them from getting lost.

“Why’re you both covered in blood? And what smells like French fries?”

“Kagome had her period.”

She shrieked and went to slap his shoulder without thinking, but, always faster than her, he grabbed her wrist, placing a kiss on it before letting go. The area he touched tingled the rest of the night.


	9. Lover's Play

**Nine: Lover’s Play**

**(C’mon Billy by PJ Harvey)**

It was a few days before Inuyasha was able to look at Shippo without growling or bopping him on the head. It was even longer before he was able to look at her without that suspicious glare, the glare of a husband who suspected his wife was sleeping with the butler and planning on offing him and collecting the entirety of his estate. She hadn’t even actually had sex with that monster! While knowing his behavior was totally and completely ridiculous, Kagome was still hurt. They were silent more often than not now, even their once constant arguments being put on hold for however long he was going to hold his stupid grudge. He barely even asked her what she wanted to eat or if she was tired and he never made a single move on her. She never thought there would ever come a day when she’d long almost to the point of tears for him to unexpectedly grab her boob and say something perverted that he knew would piss her off even more.

“Where are we going?” she asked tentatively.

Inuyasha’s shoulders tensed the minute she spoke. “Gonna spend the night at a friend’s.”

They had been driving for over two days without stopping for anything other than the bathroom breaks and showers she demanded and she hadn’t yet complained, understanding he probably really, really wanted to get there already and not wanting to upset him more after everything.

Finally, sometime before midnight, they arrived at their destination. Inuyasha seemed to have a thing for dry and dusty abandoned places. The big wooden building in front of them seemed like something off the set of an old Western. Shutters swayed in the breeze, creaking and making her cringe. A crooked sign read, “Bunny’s Bunnies”. The half-demon did not seem to be at all bothered by all that, though, and even had a spring in his step. Suspicion tingled in her bones when he forgot to close his door and get his bag, so she did both for him, rousing Shippo in order to lighten her load. The little fox followed her sleepily, yawning the whole while. Her steps quickened and soon she caught up to him.

“…Is this a hotel?” she ventured to ask, feelings of trepidation making her want to hold his hand just to assure herself he was really with her.

Inuyasha laughed. “Kind of.”

He pushed open the swinging doors and they stepped into a brightly-lit room. The inside was full of props and period decorations to match the theme of the outside. Girls walked about laughing in low-cut hoop dresses, their hair done up with loose ringlets framing their faces. Everyone had a feathery fan and she saw at least three women with apples between their prominent cleavage. Men either dressed like cowboys or in modern clothes were rosy-faced from drinking, laughing as they attempted to pull girls into their laps. The floor was covered in sawdust, old timey piano music filled the air, and she swore she heard someone ordering a sarsaparilla.

A thick-waisted woman well past middle-age yet still dressed like the younger bimbos working the floor sidled up to them, her heavily powdered face partially hidden behind her fan.

“Well howdy, y’all!” she opened in a creaking voice ringing with an exaggerated Texan accent. “I’m Bunny! Haven’t seen you ‘round these here parts in a mighty long time, Inuyasha.” Turning to the stunned Kagome and Shippo, she continued, “And who are these lil rascals? Well, I’ll be! What gorgeous eyes you got there, lil lady. And such a durned cute lil fox with—”

“Cut the shit, Kaede,” Inuyasha broke in. “I’ll have my usual room.”

Sticking her fan between her drooping breasts, the woman glared at him. “I’m not letting you back here after what you did to my best girl.” This time, there was no trace of an accent. “You can flirt with the girls and have a drink at the bar, but your half-demon ass is outta here come close.”

“What did I do?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“Kikyo!” Bunny, or Kaede or whatever, practically hissed the name at him, eyes narrowing further. “I know what you did to her. My crystal ball never lies.”

“Then you know she was asking for it. And fuck, I didn’t know she was one of yours.”

“You didn’t have to kill her. It would’ve been easy for you to just separate the two of them and throw her out of the car, but no, you just had to damage my merchandise.”

Inuyasha glanced at her before looking back at the old woman. “I couldn’t let that shit slide.”

First, Kagome was embarrassed that Kaede had seen her intimate encounter with the dead girl. Then, she was surprised. She thought Inuyasha’s destruction of Kikyo had been nothing more than a reflex, just some weird accidental half-asleep response to hearing his name yelled. The way they were describing it, it sounded like a mixture of protection and revenge.

“That girl was troubled, Inuyasha. You know that better than anyone.”

It seemed like she had more to say, but his stony stare stopped her. “I wasn’t going to let Kagome get hurt. When I felt the curse start draining her life away, I lost it. No matter my history with Kikyo or how guilty I feel about it all, she sealed her fate the moment she touched Kagome. Now are you gonna let us stay or what?”

Kaede sighed. “Well, I can’t exactly turn these two down in good conscience. Guess I’ll have to accept you along with them. Don’t know where I’m gonna find another eternally youthful prostitute impervious to pain who travels around the country making house calls and still sends me my cut of the cash, though…” She took the bags from Kagome and handed them off to an effeminate young man. Shippo immediately sprang into her arms and began to drowse again.

“Just put an ad up on Craigslist or something.”

She snorted. “Botan and Momiji will take care of you as usual. I’ll take the kids and stash ‘em in a clean room, our Duke suite, the best we have. All on your dime, of course.”

“Of course,” Inuyasha said, his fangs glinting as he grinned.

“Wait!” Kagome shouted when he turned to leave, mind still reeling from everything that had been said. “We’re not going to be together?”

The half-demon leered at her. “By all means, if you want to save me some money—”

“Stuff it.”

Two heavily made-up women came over to Inuyasha, bodices cut so low Kagome thought she could see a bit of areola peeking out. His eyes never met theirs, so intent he was on peering at their breasts. The two of them giggled in sync, their hands roving over him, lingering on the front of his pants. They kissed and fondled him familiarly, and he just kept grinning wide enough to split his face, paying them back in kind and almost undressing them right there in front of everyone.

“Fuck, I needed this,” he groaned, reaching in and cupping a breast of the girl with darker hair. “This summer’s been torture for my dick.”

Kagome was too angry to decipher the sympathetic, breathy murmurings of the twin whores. Her entire body felt hot with rage and she almost threw what she was holding at him before realizing at the last second that it was Shippo. What the fuck kind of psychopath spent almost two months trying to get her to sleep with him and then went and did this in front of her!? Honestly, bringing the girl he was hoping to seduce and the child she adopted to a brothel, of all the things. It was like he wanted her to hate him! And it almost worked. She almost succumbed to a fit of angry tears and ran away to go spend the night in the car, but that would mean he’d still get his way.

Gathering every bit of anger and hurt she had inside her in order to steady her resolve, she sidled over to where he was playing tonsil hockey with one of the girls. Weren’t they supposed to have a rule about not kissing? Ugh, who cared. Not her. Not anymore. Not much, at least. Shifting Shippo around, she placed his head on her shoulder and soothingly rubbed his back.

“But Inuyasha!” she whined in a high, babyish voice. “You said after the baby came you wouldn’t mess around on me anymore! And here I am, pregnant again, and you’re still going off and seeing other women. I know I’m not all mature like them, but I’ll be fourteen soon, and then maybe—”

Inuyasha laughed uneasily as the girls’ smiles turned to disgusted, angry grimaces. “Uh, haha, that’s enough! What do you want, Kagome?”

It was too late. The damage had been done. Botan and Momiji stomped off and resumed their rounds, serving drinks and assaulting men’s faces with their giant fake boobs.

She smirked at him, happy in her victory. The gold of his eyes darkened and he grabbed her by the wrist, leading her upstairs. Obviously, he knew his way around the place very well, and it didn’t take them even three minutes before they walked through the doors of one of the most luxurious rooms she’d ever been in. Nothing was in keeping with the downstairs décor, instead resembling things she’d only seen in pictures. Fine art on the ceiling, shining marble floors, furniture that looked too nice to touch. Kagome gaped at it all, wondering what strange and sometimes horrifying universe she had wandered into.

Inuyasha began to mix himself a drink, the set of his shoulders telling her he was pissed off and just trying to figure out what to say. Feeling her earlier anger return, she gently lay Shippo down on a velvet couch and walked to the separate bedroom, admiring everything except for the gaudy crimson bed with its satin sheets and silk scarlet canopy.

“What the fuck was that about!?” he growled at her, closing the door behind him.

A residual feeling of childishness was left over from her role and she stuck her tongue out at him. “You’re not ditching us to go have fun by yourself. And how _dare_ you bring Shippo here! How dare you bring _me_ here!”

“You brought him here!” he shouted, heedless of the sleeping boy in the other room. “I never wanted him with us at all.”

“That’s a terrible thing to say about your son, Inuyasha.” Turning her back to him, she ran her hands over the bed, enjoying the quality despite its appearance. “And really, a cowboy whorehouse? I don’t even want to think about all the things you do here.” An image of Kaede riding and gyrating on top of Inuyasha and bellowing “Hi-ho, Silver!” made her gag.

“Don’t kink shame me, bitch.”

She ignored him and instead began taking her considerable amount of toiletries out of her bag, wondering if she should shower tonight or in the morning. Maybe both?

“Were you jealous?” He was right behind her, words ghosting across her skin and making the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “Kagome…” His claws brushed her hair to the side and his lips barely touched her. She felt them tremble. Suddenly, she forgot what she had been doing, wanting nothing more than to let him do to her whatever it was he could do. “Did you think that just because I want to fuck you it meant I don’t want to fuck anyone else? You’re not special. You’re just an arrogant, disloyal little girl. The sooner you learn that, the better.”

Fists clenched, she rounded on him, feeling the blood rush to her face. “I would never be jealous of anyone who demeaned themselves so much as to actually touch you like that. Don’t project your sick fantasies onto me, you bastard!”

He laughed, and for once it wasn’t a nice sound. “I’m not the bastard here, Kagome. I had two parents who loved each other and wanted me.”

It hurt her deeply knowing he went right for the buttons that were the easiest to push. Everything she had thought up to say was erased though her mouth remained opened, stunned. The tears fell without resistance. She had no will left to hold them back. Sitting on the bed, she covered her face with her hands, shoulders shaking as she tried not to make any noise, not wanting to seem even more pathetic.

“Shit,” he cursed softly to himself. “I’m sorry, okay? Kagome? I’m sorry. Kagome? Are you listening? Kagome!? Hey! I’m sorry!” He got more freaked out the longer she went without answering him, voice rising to a higher pitch. “We can leave right now, Kagome, okay? We’ll go anywhere you want, I’ll take you away. I know you don’t like it here. I just came here to make you jealous because I’m a fucking idiot. I’m sorry. Are you all right? Do you, uh, do you need, uh, what do girls need when they’re sad?”

Kagome peeked through her fingers, becoming a little worried but still not ready to answer him. Inuyasha was fumbling with the phone, hitting numbers and cursing when they weren’t the right ones.

He continued, mostly to himself, “You like sandwiches, right? That worked last time. I remember what you like. Yeah, hi, Kaede. It’s an emergency and I’m going to need a ham and muenster sandwich with spaghetti sauce and pepperoncinis on sheepherder bread.” His brows came together and he began to growl. “No, I’m not fucking high. Because I don’t know the number for the kitchen! Send it up now!”

Kagome couldn’t help herself. She started to laugh, not in a nice tinkling bells way, but snorting sounds that turned into a guffaw. Putting her hand on his, she laughed a little harder at the shocked and unsure look on his face, at his ears drooping in regret.

“I knew a sandwich would cheer you up.”

“It’s not the sandwich,” she said between giggles. “It’s you. You make me happy, Inuyasha, even though you make me sad and mad sometimes, too. But it’s okay. You were right.”

“You really were jealous!?”

“No! You had two parents that were together and wanted you. I’ve only ever had Mom, and I always came in second place. Or maybe third now that you’ve showed up again.”

He sat next to her on the bed. “You come first in my life, Kagome. There isn’t really anyone else for you to compete with, but I thought you should know.”

Kagome laughed, wiping the tears that stubbornly insisted on flowing. “Thanks. I mean it.”

“Kagome,” he said earnestly, “whoever your father is, he’s an idiot. And my father’s an idiot. And Mom’s an idiot. We’re all idiots.”

“No, I was just unwanted. And that’s okay. I don’t have to be wanted in order to live a good life.”

There was a moment of silence filled with feeling so strong their eyes connected without either of them realizing it, drawn to each other like it was just supposed to be that way.

“I want you,” he said shakily. “I want you so much it drives me crazy just being near you. I don’t know how to talk. How to act. How to be. I only know how to want you.”

The kiss was gentle at the start, hesitant on his part, fearful on hers. Surprisingly, she was the one who started it, pulling him to her by the collar. It didn’t take long before the passion that was always present between the two of them bled into the kiss and had her gasping for breath, aching for him. Kagome tangled her hands in his hair and he groaned, laying her down on the bed. Never in her life had she even considered doing what she was about to do in such a horrible location, but the heat of his body and the weight of him (and perhaps the years of sexual frustration from having a gay boyfriend) pushed all thoughts of the terrible décor and distasteful business surrounding them far away. There was only Inuyasha and Kagome. Only fire and discovery. Madness and emotion.

Instead of waiting for him to do it, she began unbuttoning her blouse. The small blush on his cheeks amazed her. How could someone like him still blush? It only took him a second to recover himself and then he was helping her, stroking her skin as he bared it and kissing her deeply. His fingers played over her bra, dancing around her nipples and taking her breath away. He whispered her name in between kisses and she answered him with his, feeling drugged. Was this what love felt like, or was it lust? Was there a difference?

Inuyasha’s fangs teased her chin, then her throat, his tongue darting out and caressing her here and there, his lips following and sucking small chosen places on her skin. Kagome mewled and writhed beneath him, imagining those lips on more sensitive, secret places. His nose nudged her bra cup down, having a little bit of trouble when her very stiff nipple resisted. His hands were busy, one gliding up and down the inside of her thighs and the other smoothing patterns on her collarbone. When his mouth finally came down on her nipple and sucked, she cried out, feeling a gush of wetness flood her down below. He sucked her hungrily, nibbling and licking as well, until the hand on her thighs came to her panties and stroked her over the dripping wet cloth. He moaned, but instead of diving in and pleasing her, pulled away.

His eyes were wild, lips swollen and glistening with his own saliva. Inuyasha held the fingers that had touched her to his nose first and then his lips, where he licked them clean of whatever amount of her juices had been there. Kagome didn’t know whether she was imagining it or not, but for a second his eyes flashed red.

“How far will you let me go?” he asked softly, the words dragged from him with reluctance.

“W-what?”

He crawled between her legs and placed an open-mouthed kiss against her covered core, making her shudder.

“How far will you let me go, Kagome?”

Her mouth opened to answer, but she gasped instead when he took the crotch of her panties into his mouth and sucked, eyes rolling back in his head before shutting as he ground himself into the mattress.

“Hey, some lady came to the door with this sandwich, said it was an emergency!”

Kagome shrieked, covering herself up and burrowing under the sheets. Inuyasha slammed his face into the nearest pillow and did a very poor job of muffling his anguished scream.

“If you’re not gonna eat it then can I have it?” Shippo asked, already taking a bite.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “How about we split it?”

The little fox boy jumped into the bed between them, nuzzling into Kagome’s side. Inuyasha moved closer to them and shoved him forward until he was almost head over heels.

“Stop cockblocking me, you fucking twerp.”

Shippo shoved him back. Unsurprisingly, it had no effect other than making the half-demon angrier. “Stop wrestling Kagome! It’s not fair. You’re not in the same weight class.”

That earned a surprised laugh from Inuyasha. Her eyes found his and held, something intense in the look he gave her making her dizzy. Had they really been doing that just now, or was it a wet dream? Was she honestly going to give him her virginity in his favorite whorehouse? Kagome’s sanity returned and she resolved to always have Shippo with her at all times. Inuyasha probably wouldn’t use his weird hypnotic vampire lust powers on her with a kid around, right? She wasn’t entirely sure. Maybe she should arm herself with mace or a taser and not just a baby kitsune.

When she had finished bathing and was ready to sleep, she crawled into bed as quietly as she could, not wanting to wake the lightly snoring fox. To her surprise, Inuyasha was still awake, his eyes glowing in the dark. It always scared her when he did that. Nevertheless, she slept on her side facing him. He took her hand and she felt him kiss her little finger again. She wondered what it meant.

“Sooo, there’s not even a chance of a blowjob, I’m guessing. Unless…”

Kagome snorted. “You cockblock yourself, you know.”

He chuckled. It took her a while to drift off, her mind ringing with one question.

How far would she let him go?

**O\o/O**

Kagome hardly slept that night, too afraid to even toss and turn. There was a non-stop blush on her face and she got up while it was still dark to avoid having Inuyasha or Shippo see it. How was it that she could do such an insane thing and only want more in the moment yet feel like a scared little mouse the minute he stopped touching her? Demons and half-demons must have some secret magic powers, she surmised. She purposely lingered for a long time in the bathroom, ignoring the insistent knocking and yelling of both her traveling companions. When everything had been quiet for at least ten minutes, she left, still not able to have rid herself entirely of her blush.

A note on the bed messily scrawled in crayon told her they were downstairs having breakfast with the “staff”, directions included. At first she thought it was Shippo’s handwriting, but a crude drawing of breasts was definitely Inuyasha’s signature.

The giant dining room was done up in dark woods, animal head trophies crowning the wall. Kagome cringed, feeling judged by the glassy eyes, like each and every one of them knew what she had let Inuyasha do last night and what she had done herself. There was only one long table and she took the sole remaining seat, her face coloring even deeper because it was, of course, right next to Inuyasha.

“You feeling all right?” he whispered in her ear, making her shiver and then tense. “You look feverish.”

“I WANT EGGS!” she exclaimed, nearly knocking her chair over when she stood to serve some scrambled eggs from the metal tray onto her plate. Sitting back down, she couldn’t help but glance at him, giggling nervously at the strange look he was giving her.

“Um, okay. Eat up.”

“How did you sleep, child?” the kindly voice of Kaede asked directly across from her. The old woman briefly glared at Inuyasha suspiciously before looking back at her.

She picked at the giant mound of eggs on her plate. “Fine, thank you.” It seemed too short a response, and she was looking to avoid conversation with Inuyasha anyway, so she continued, “You’re looking different today. Do you not dress up in the daytime?”

Kaede sipped her tea. “Business doesn’t start until nine in the evening. Only our most valued clients are allowed to break their fast with the girls.”

Kagome looked around at the “girls”. Most of them had on the smeared and crumbling leftover makeup from the night before. Some seemed to be fighting off a hangover. Almost all of them were dressed in just regular comfortable pajamas, some wearing clothes that obviously belonged to their real boyfriend, others opting for something more traditional. She couldn’t imagine how this was a treat for the men, but there were a few there, looking delighted to be with their less than enthusiastic company.

One of the men was sitting next to her and she could feel his eyes on her. Flinching towards Inuyasha, who was now deep in some trivial argument with Kaede, she tried to fill up her mouth with as much food as she could in the hopes that he would not try and start talking to her. It was not to be.

“I saw you come in last night. Are you available now? Or will you be with Taisho?” He was the kind of man who had once been muscular but was now fat, not that he noticed it. She guessed he could have been good-looking once upon a time, but his overly tanned skin and heavy breathing combined with the wraparound sunglasses and frosted tips grossed her out.

“I’m always with Inuyasha,” she muttered back, confused.

“Wow,” he said admiringly. “He usually switches it up every time. You must be one special girl. How’d he find you?”

“We have the same mother.”

“Oh. Crap. Uh, do your parents know about this? Do they approve?”

“Yeah, they practically handed me off to him.” Thinking of her parents made her feel resentful. They hadn’t even tried to pretend she meant something to them. All the other kids at college would have their parents dropping them off and all she’d have was a sex fiend half-demon. They knew what he was like and they still let her go with him, the monsters.

“Fuck it! How much do you charge, I’ll double what he’s paying you. No, I’ll triple it!”

“W-w-what!?” she stuttered, put off by how suddenly close he was to her. Kagome dropped her fork in shock, watching helplessly as it fell to the floor.

His sweaty palm ran up her leg and under her skirt. “Your dirty talk is driving me crazy,” he said, clearly salivating. “Call me daddy and I’ll call you babygirl, you’re just about my real daughter’s age and height—”

A familiar clawed hand plunged the fork into the gross guy’s shoulder before pulling her back behind him.

“You sick fuck,” Inuyasha growled, cracking his knuckles as he made a fist.

The man was screaming and cursing both Inuyasha and her, but the half-demon paid him no mind, punching him right in the nose. Kagome cringed when she heard the crack and cuddled Shippo to her, not wanting him to see that kind of violence. Normally, she would have stopped Inuyasha right about then, but some part of her enjoyed watching him kick the guy in the ribs.

“Inuyasha Taisho!” Kaede shrieked, the only one courageous enough to intervene, grabbing him by the ear and dragging him out of the room. Kagome followed, sparing one last look at the thoroughly beaten man on the floor and smiling. It couldn’t have made a nicer present even if Inuyasha had wrapped it up and tied it with a bow. Shippo stayed behind to poke the unconscious man and tug on his rather impressive moustache.

“What the fuck, you old hag!” Inuyasha complained. “I was almost done with ‘im.”

Kaede ignored him. Going over to Kagome, she brushed off imaginary dirt from her shoulders and patted her on the head.

“I’m so sorry, dear, that never should have happened. I hate to throw you out, but Inuyasha’s already on thin ice with everyone here. Keep in touch, and should you ever need a job, you could certainly make a lot of money being one of my bunnies.”

She laughed uneasily, almost afraid Inuyasha would punch Kaede for suggesting such a thing. “I don’t think any amount of money is worth tolerating a guy like that.”

One of the old woman’s eyebrows lifted the slightest bit. “Honey,” she said, Texan accent inexplicably returned. “I ain’t exactly the pick of the litter and I make 5k a week.”

“Can I have a business card, Madame Bunny?”

Inuyasha grabbed her wrist and dragged her away before Kaede could fish one out of her cleavage.

“Come on, let’s go back and get the brat.”

The gross guy had been pushed into a corner, spare tablecloth draped over him. The other patrons were having a good time, laughing and joking with the now livelier girls, and Shippo looked like a little celebrity with how much attention he was getting. Scantily clad women who had been summoned by the commotion surrounded him, not that he really noticed, too intent on the giant lollipop someone had given him.

“You’re so adorable!” the one she recognized as Botan cooed. “I’d love to be your mother.”

“Are your mommy and daddy having problems?” Momiji asked sympathetically, petting his tail. “What kind of girls does your daddy like best?”

Shippo shrugged. “I don’t think Inuyasha likes girls at all ‘cause he treats Kagome real mean. Maybe he wishes she was a boy.”

That was too much for the half-demon, who hit him on the head, which caused the girls to erupt in anger and crocodile tears. Kagome comforted the crying Shippo, kissing the bump on his head.

“Shit, I can never come back here now,” Inuyasha mumbled.

Kagome smirked at the “bunnies”. She won.


	10. Standing in the Garden

**Ten: Standing in the Garden**

**(Son by Warpaint)**

On the morning of her eighteenth birthday, Kagome awoke already grumpy and ready to go back to sleep. Then she remembered the occasion and sprang out of the hotel bed, checking to see that Inuyasha and Shippo were still fast asleep. Once that was confirmed, she grabbed her toiletries and the day’s outfit, making for the shower. She took an extra long time, treating herself. All her prettiest soaps and lotions and scents were used. The mass of black hair that was difficult to manage even on a good day was patiently styled and pinned away from her face, the rest streaming down her back. Her make-up looked professional, which it should after nearly an hour of precise strokes and about a hundred dirtied Q-tips. At the end, she stepped into her dress, a black one that hit her just above the knee with three-quarter length sleeves, made of cotton and complementing her form just right. Taking in her reflection, she felt a dangerous curl of pride tickle her spine.

Inuyasha hadn’t told her of any plans he’d made, but she didn’t doubt he’d pull some grand gesture to try and get into her pants. She’d been bugging him for a solid week about what he was going to get her, and he became unusually tight-lipped and looked away. That could only mean something _good_.

After her eternity in the bathroom, she was expecting the boys to shout at her the minute she exited, only to be stunned by her unearthly beauty, overwhelmed that such a creature could possibly exist, let alone slum it with the two of them. To her disappointment, the two of them were still sleeping, sprawled out on the bed on top of the covers, Shippo curled in Inuyasha’s armpit. Feeling upset at not being immediately crowned Queen of the Day, she stomped over to the bed and flicked Inuyasha’s nose. Before she could snatch her hand away, he had her by the wrist, yanking her onto his chest.

“Too early,” he grumbled.

His eyes stayed closed. The sudden warmth of his body made her completely still, wondering if she had ever felt this close to another person before, and not just in the physical sense. Inuyasha’s eyelashes drew her attention and she stared at them, wondering why a man got such beautiful sweeping fans that practically rested against his cheekbones while she had to rely on five coats of mascara. Taking the tip of her index finger, she traced the strong line of his jaw, her heartbeat quickening when she felt the muscles there clench.

Inuyasha ruined her innocent admiration of him by grabbing her ass. “Y’sure it’s not _my_ birthday?” her dress had ridden up, so his hand groped bare skin.

Face coloring, she opened her mouth to scream at him before realizing that maybe that was exactly what he wanted. Since she was an adult now, it was up to her to rise above his mischief. Grabbing an unused pillow, she slammed it on his face.

“Pervert,” she hissed, not noticing the smile on her face.

“Kagome!” Shippo shrieked excitedly, jumping up on the down, not seeming to notice or care that she was smothering Inuyasha. “I got you a present! I didn’t need help or anything!”

“Thank you, Shippo!” she said pleasantly, releasing her hold on the pillow.

The little fox disappeared under the bed for a second before reappearing with a large piece of pink construction paper in his hand.

“I know your favorite color is pink, so I made the paper pink and I drew it all in pink,” he explained excitedly, shoving it in her lap.

Kagome studied the drawing, which was kind of difficult to make out due to the similar colors. Inuyasha looked at it over her shoulder and rolled his eyes, a frown on his face. There was a figure she guessed was him, judging by the two tumorish things sticking out from the top of its head, one that was probably her taking up almost the entire drawing with giant dark pink lips, and a little ball that could only be Shippo. Hearts littered the background and “famly birday” was written on the bottom.

“Oh, Shippo,” she said tremulously, willing herself not to cry as it would ruin her makeup. “Oh, I love it! So much. I love you, thank you!” Sniffling, she covered the fox in kisses.

“You trying to make me jealous?”

Kagome snorted. “You’re lucky I’m feeling generous.” Untangling herself from Shippo, she leaned over and gently placed the barest whisper of a kiss on Inuyasha’s cheek.

Surprisingly enough, Inuyasha didn’t try to take the kiss further or touch her inappropriately. Brow furrowed, she got to her feet, Shippo scrambling into her arms a split second later.

“So what do you want to do for your big day?” Inuyasha asked, eyes on the clock behind her.

Looking down at Shippo in her arms, she smiled and replied, “I just want to be with my family. What do you guys want to do?”

It was obvious to her that Inuyasha was about to argue with her to make her choose, but Shippo prevented that altercation.

“I wanna go play and have pizza and we can have cake and—”

Inuyasha covered the fox’s mouth with his hand. “Chuck E. Cheese it is.”

Kagome laughed. “I can’t think of a better way to enter adulthood.”

The heated look in Inuyasha’s eyes told her that he could.

Before _that_ could get started, Kagome turned her back to him, nose in the air, and strode to the door. “Driver, take us to Chuck E. Cheese’s. Tout suite.”

That she had made a mistake was obvious the minute they arrived at their destination. The place was crawling with children, all loud and out of control. Mothers and grandmothers sat at booths, no men in sight, as though having a Y chromosome came with a sixth sense to know to stay the hell away from the place. But Shippo was blind to all that, which was what mattered most. After the hostess/greeter stamped their hands with all the enthusiasm of someone being held hostage, the kit ran off in a blur to go play in the plastic tubes which were already packed with children. She and Inuyasha purchased enough tokens to keep an army of kids busy and sat at a booth, waiting for the pizza to be delivered.

“Why’d you actually agree to come here? I was just joking. I could take you anywhere you want.”

Kagome just watched Shippo make friends with kids he’d forget in a few hours. “This is exactly where I want to be.”

Inuyasha just sighed and stared out the window.

“Why aren’t you sitting next to me?” she blurted out. It wasn’t like she _wanted_ him there squashed up against her as he usually was, but it was odd that he was giving her any amount of space.

“Take the tokens and go have fun.”

“You’ve been acting weird for a while now.”

The half-demon’s face was completely blank, a basic, neutral, barely pleasant expression there. “Nope.”

Now concerned, she got up and went to his side of the booth, getting as close to him as she possibly could, eyes studying his face. The muscle in his jaw ticked like it had earlier today. He wouldn’t meet her gaze.

With sudden clarity, she realized what this was all about. “Oh, gods. _Gods_. I knew it. You’re an even bigger pervert than I thought,” she began, her voice raising to near-hysterical levels with every new word. “You liked me because I wasn’t legal yet, but now that I’m eighteen, you don’t want anything to do with me. And Chuck E. Cheese’s was _your_ idea!” She gasped. “Now you’re out on the prowl for—”

“Shhh!” he hissed, looking around to see if anyone had overheard her. “Fuck, that’s not even remotely… Fuck. _No_. Ugh, goddamn it, Kagome. I got you something.” Out of his jacket pocket came a long rectangular black velvet box. “Just remember that we had good times, okay?”

Opening the box, she took out a gold heart-shaped locket on a gold chain. Opening the locket revealed a picture of Inuyasha yelling on one side and one of her on the other, obviously in the middle of one of their arguments.

“…When the hell was this even taken?”

“Never mind that. What matters is that we’re together and it’s real and you can’t forget that, no matter what.”

His eyes blazed into hers and she felt herself relaxing, releasing the iron grip on the plastic cup of soda she’d been about to throw in his face.

“Fine. Yes. Okay.”

They drifted together naturally, easily, and for once their kiss was empty of sexual tension. It was warm, loving, and everything she’d never thought she’d have. Breathless. She’d finally had a kiss that left her really and truly breathless in more than just the literal sense. Every bit of her being was standing at attention but falling into a pit of feeling at the same time. By the end of it, the necklace was fastened around her neck, cold metal of the locket resting between her breasts, quickly warming with her body temperature. She hadn’t even felt him put it on her.

The rest of their time there was a blur. She played some games with Shippo, ate too much pizza, was given a very stale chocolate cake (which she also ate too much of), and somehow became acclimated to the sound of screeching children. Most importantly, Inuyasha never left her side all night. Either his arm was around her shoulders or he’d take her hand in his. It was almost overwhelming. No man had ever treated her like she really mattered, not like Inuyasha did. Their time in that Chuck E. Cheese was everything Kagome had ever wanted. Were it not for the five layers of mascara, she’d have cried.

While she didn’t want the night to end, Chuck E. Cheese did have to close, and so she reluctantly carried the passed out Shippo back to the car, buckling him in and kissing his cheek. It wasn’t until she sat down herself that she realized how pleasantly exhausted she was. Even so, she fought to stay awake until Inuyasha finished whatever random late night phone call he decided was so important and entered the car. Waiting until they were out of the parking lot, she grabbed for his hand, holding it instead of allowing her own to be held. She fell asleep almost immediately, dreaming about the reality of her night.

**O\o/O**

The loss of warmth woke her.

Yawning, Kagome blinked a few times, trying to get her eyes to adjust so she could figure out where she was and what was going on. A quick glance told her she was alone in the car. Outside, it was foggy, but she could see enough to tell the car was parked in a driveway of a little yellow house with a sign over the garage. Inuyasha was approaching the front door, Shippo in his arms, and when she squinted to read the sign, she stopped breathing.

_Sunshine Home for Kitsune_

Hands shaking, she stumbled out of the car and darted to where they were. Inuyasha had already handed over the still sleeping Shippo to a matronly-looking fox.

“No!” she screamed, almost tripping up the steps. Inuyasha didn’t look at her. Shippo’s ears twitched but otherwise he didn’t stir. The older kitsune looked at her with pity.

“Back in the car, Kagome. We’ve gotta go.”

“What are you doing?” she whispered, tears rushing down her face. “Why?”

Inuyasha’s hand gripped her shoulder. “Someone needed to do the right thing.”

Seeing Shippo just doze away in the other woman’s arms made Kagome seethe with rage and she struck out, hitting Inuyasha in the face. The woman closed the door and several locks could be heard. “No! He’s _mine_ , Inuyasha. We’re a family. You can’t take him!”

He cursed and grabbed both her wrists. “We can’t take care of a fucking baby fox, Kagome! We don’t know what or how to teach him.”

Kagome’s legs felt like they’d give out at any moment, her entire body shaking. “I’d fucking Google it!” she shrieked, struggling to get free, to get Shippo back.

“And what about when you go to school and I go to work in two different parts of the country? What then? How do you think he’d feel about having his second family torn apart!?”

“I would make time for him, Inuyasha. I love him! You have no right to do this.”

He shook his head, eyes pained. “You’re just a child yourself. You had no place making him love you if you’re just going to leave in the end. It’s cruel.”

“You’re cruel. I can’t believe I ever stopped hating you,” she said from between clenched teeth. The locket he had given her mere hours ago suddenly felt cold and heavy. She wanted to toss it into an abyss.

“You had a good last day,” he said softly, without emotion. Inuyasha forced her to the car, almost carrying her the entire way. “I slipped some Benadryl into his soda so he wouldn’t have to go through this shit. Should’ve done that for you, too.”

She didn’t say anything to him. Didn’t even look at him. She couldn’t. The rage had faded to an aching emptiness, but she knew the second he did something, anything, it would flare up again and she’d lose it. Whether they drove for hours or minutes, she couldn’t tell. Time was different now. In the morning, she’d find a way to get Shippo back, but now she couldn’t even think, could barely breathe.

“I’m here to see a friend. Stay in the car.”

They had stopped.

Kagome leaned her head against the glass, tears collecting in her eyes anew. Gods, how could he do that to her? On her birthday, of all days. Was everything a lie?

A sudden knock to her window made her jump. A woman was standing there, tall and very angry, wearing an old flannel robe.

“Are you Inuyasha’s new slut?” she yelled.

“For the last time, no,” she scowled.

The woman continued as though she hadn’t even spoken. “Because I thought you’d like to know he’s getting sucked off—I mean ‘ _submitted to’_ —by a guy who’s not even a demon.”

**Note** : This was so hard to write. Sorry it’s not longer/better written. I hate when you pre-write chapters and then you realize “Holy crap, this is not even half a chapter” but everything is already all structured and stuff and so you’re stuck with the shortie. Anyhoooo, I’ve been super stressing and most of my attention has been going to school and stuff, but I am still working on every single story (Yes, even Forget the Storm, even though nobody likes it, not even me). Expect more stuff, like the story I’m super dee duper excited about which will be uploaded once H2H (15 chapters total) and BLT (12 chapters total) are over and done with. H2H will have a multi-chapter sequel, though, because I’m very fond of it for whatever reason.


	11. It Looked Like Fun

**Eleven: It Looked Like Fun**

**(Crazy by Daniela Andrade)**

Eyes wide, mouth open in a gasp, Kagome said, “But he told me he only—”

The woman snorted. “I know, dominance and whatever. Miroku says that too, but that’s demon law! I’m Sango, by the way.” Her smile disappeared as quickly as it appeared and she stuck her hand through the half-open window.

“Uh, hello.” Tentatively, she shook. “I’m Kagome. Inuyasha’s, um, his…travel buddy.”

Her eyes narrowed for a second, such a short time that Kagome thought she imagined it, before she went back to what must have been a familiar complaint. “It’s the same thing every time he comes around here. Miroku says that he follows the ways of the demons, that he grew up with demons, that he works with demons and so it’s not weird, but I’m not so sure he does it just because of that. That damn rule doesn’t make any sense, anyway!”

“I know, right!?” Kagome squeaked, happy to have finally found a sane person.

Sango smiled at her, genuinely this time. “Come inside and let me give you some tea. You should at least be comfortable while they ‘talk business’.”

She straightened her spine when Kagome opened the car door and the girl realized the woman was very, very tall. Even in an old flannel robe, she was attractive, like a very athletic model. She followed her into a very neat and nice ranch-style home. Past the whisper of a foyer was the living room, a room that looked and felt sunny even at night with its yellow color scheme.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Sango said, gesturing at a sunflower patterned couch that was honestly kind of ugly and far too boho for the rest of the place. “Um, I only have chamomile, I hope that’s okay.”

She smiled politely, wondering why she’d left the car. “You don’t have to trouble yourself, I’m fine.”

She smiled back, and the forced width of her grin made Kagome’s own mouth feel uncomfortable. “I’ll put the pot on anyway in case you change your mind.”

Now that she was alone again, her mind turned back to Inuyasha, as it usually did since they had become acquainted. What was his problem!? Why hadn’t he spoken about his plans with her? Sure, she would have been upset and probably would have reacted much the same, but it wouldn’t have hurt so much, at the very least. Coming out of nowhere like that was torture, and now she was just numb. She’d thought she’d finally found a real family, one who loved her, and she thought of all people Inuyasha would understand, since he’d had the same upbringing. But he was the one who took it from her. That was unforgiveable.

“You have such a gorgeous shade of blue in your eyes, by the way.”

Kagome jumped, not having noticed Sango come into the room or sit next to her. Was she wearing makeup now? Internally, she laughed at herself. She’d probably been wearing it all along and she just hadn’t noticed before.

“Thanks. I get it from my dad.” Whoever he was.

“And a cute figure! Do you dance? Yoga?” The mug of tea she handed her was comfortably warm and smelled like flowers, not at all like any chamomile she’d ever had.

“Um, I used to dance, but I stopped last year. I do pilates sometimes. And I run.”

“So, you’re in high school?”

“Just graduated.” It was more of an interrogation than a conversation and the realization made her nervous.

“How precious,” Sango sighed, shifting closer to her. “So young. Oh, those were the days. Not for me, but for everybody else. The popular people. The pretty girls. Like you.”

As inconspicuously as possible, she tried to scoot away. “…Thank you?”

“I played sports in high school. Basketball, softball, soccer, volleyball. Even played on the boys’ baseball team. Nobody noticed I was a girl until March. Had a hormone imbalance. I bet Miroku wouldn’t have looked at me twice if we met before my treatments.”

Kagome decided silence was the best option and awkwardly sipped her tea, trying to quiet her slurps. Her new hatred for Inuyasha was forgotten and now she willed him to hurry up and save her from this terrible interaction. There was a particularly loud groan from upstairs and her recognition of the half-demon’s voice had her spine tingling and her gut twisting. What was this feeling?

Sango’s face darkened. “If I didn’t love him so much, I’d kill him. Men. Good for nothing.”

Barely able to nod, Kagome suddenly felt sick. Overheated, dizzy, confused. Was this… Was she… _Jealous_? Did that mean she was in love with him? She already knew she had some pretty gross feelings for him, but she’d chosen to ignore them, secretly thinking she just wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Was this how Hojo had felt? Well, now she could sort of understand him, though she still thought he had gone about it (meaning their entire relationship, especially the end) in a terribly mean way. It had been obvious to her from the start that Inuyasha inspired some very dirty feelings inside her, but she’d assumed they were all physical and she’d get them out of her system eventually. But now…

Interrupting her hazy thoughts, Sango leaned forward, whispering conspiratorially, “You know, it’s not fair that they get to have all the fun. It’s not fair that we’re stuck down here feeling jealous.”

Her ratty old flannel robe slid off one smooth shoulder as though it were made of silk. The woman was wearing nothing underneath. Kagome tried to say something and realized she couldn’t. Her lips wouldn’t move. Fighting through the sluggishness in her brain, she panicked, trying to move, to leave the couch.

“Sorry about this,” her hostess said, grabbing her by the ankles and arranging her on the sofa so that she was lying on her back. “The drug will only work for about fifteen minutes, then you’ll be back to normal. That’s more time than I need, anyway. They should be done soon and Miroku will come down and realize he can’t just cheat on me and call it business.”

Sango straddled Kagome, a mischievous smile on her face. For the first time, Kagome noticed she wasn’t just attractive, but beautiful. In her early thirties, she was athletic and youthful. The phrase “desperate housewife” certainly came to mind, or would have if Kagome’s mind was capable of remembering words. Sango kissed like a man and Kagome gasped at the electric feeling.

“I haven’t been with another woman since freshman year of college. Let’s see if I can remember how to do this…”

Leaning over, she dug through her discarded robe until she produced an eight-inch purple strap-on cock. Kagome felt horrified. Was that going inside her?! To her relief, Sango strapped it onto her unmoving body instead, pulling her dress up and pulling her underwear off and tugging the tool in place and fixing it until she was satisfied. Wasting no time, the older woman lowered herself down on the plastic penis, biting her lip and groaning until it was fully enveloped. Her fingers fumbled for a bit and then the tool started vibrating. Her features melted into an expression of pure pleasure and she began to rock back and forth. Generously, she reached a hand back and began to rub Kagome’s pussy. As all sensation was dulled, she could barely attempt to enjoy being taken advantage of. All she could do was watch as the woman above her huffed and puffed and moaned and groaned and chased her orgasm. As the minutes ticked by, it became obvious she wasn’t going to get there. Bit by bit, Kagome felt the feeling returning to her fingers, then her toes, then her arms and legs.

With one big push, she’d thrown Sango to the floor and was now the one on top. Making a disgusted face at still being inside her, Kagome unbuckled herself. It really wasn’t fair, just as Sango had said. None of it was fair. How had he made her love him? She’d thought she was smarter than that! When Sango began to get up, she pushed her back down again, fixing the vibrator more firmly inside her. If Inuyasha was going to have his fun, then fuck it, so would she. She’d already come this far. Tears streaming down her face, she planted herself right on Sango’s open, questioning mouth, grinding her most private parts into the woman’s face. This time, she had a choice, and she was choosing to try and fuck Inuyasha out of her head.

“Please!” Sango cried, moving her mouth to the side.

“What?” she growled, not feeling particularly inclined to indulge any request the woman who drugged her would make.

“Pee on me!”

Kagome went still. “Uh, what?”

“Don’t ask questions, just do it!”

“No!” she squealed. “I-I can’t do that on demand! And I wouldn’t even if I could.”

Sango screamed in frustration. “I can’t cum unless something dirty happens. At least slap me and call me a whore or something.”

Kagome was reduced to a stuttering mess. Her earlier bravado, made possible only by heartache and jealousy and rage, was nowhere to be found. A loud gasp caught her attention and she looked up to see a man she didn’t know and Inuyasha at the foot of the stairs. The man looked devastated and Inuyasha looked absolutely furious. It made her shudder when she realized that fury was directed at her.

Without a word, the half-demon marched over to her and grabbed her by the arm, lifting her off of Sango and dragging her stumbling to the front door.

“I’m really sorry, Miroku. Next time we’ll meet at a hotel, okay?”

Making constant but fruitless efforts to remove herself from his grip, Kagome nearly screamed aloud when he shoved her inside the car, slamming the door after her.

“I left my underwear back there!” she shrieked once he was seated beside her.

Ignoring her, he sped out of the driveway, going way faster than anyone should in a residential area.

“Don’t say a fucking word. I can’t deal with you right now.”

The words and the anger behind them pierced her heart, which only made her angrier, at him for saying them and being someone who could hurt her so much and at herself for giving him that kind of power over her.

“Oh, shut up. I hate you, Inuyasha!” He swerved onto the freeway, nearly taking out another car. “What the hell are you doing!?”

“Why are you being such a fucking whore, Kagome?”

She laughed. “ _I’m_ the whore? You’re getting your dick sucked by every male in the goddamned world and _I’m_ the whore!?”

“You might have broken up a marriage back there. Miroku is crazy about Sango.”

Kagome crossed her arms and snorted. “If anyone broke up that marriage, it was you. Sango was complaining to me and _she_ came on to _me_. She drugged me and you don’t even care!” As happened with all fights with Inuyasha if they went on long enough, Kagome began to get tearful.

He ignored her. “So what, you’re a dyke now? Your boyfriend was gay so you figured you should try it out, too?” His face was full of anger and the other cars were blurs he was driving so fast.

“I don’t even know anymore! I guess I’m bi now or something, and honestly I probably would have ended up doing this in college, but I’m not like bisexual for real ‘cause I never want to be in a relationship with another woman, but then again, it’s bi _sex_ ual, not bi- _love_ -ual, and I obviously enjoy sex with other girls, so—”

Inuyasha interrupted her panicked word vomit with, “Whatever. Just don’t fucking do it again.”

“I’ll do whatever I want and you can’t stop me.” She was helpless to stop her nose slightly tilting and raising in the air.

With a sharp movement that nearly turned the car over, Inuyasha pulled to the side of the freeway, past the shoulder onto a small stretch of grass. Taking off his seatbelt, he leaned over her, intimidating her with his size, with his presence.

“Listen to me, you annoying little bitch,” he hissed in her face, so close she could barely look at him without her eyes crossing. “You can’t just go around fucking whoever you want like that. I won’t allow it.”

Though her heart was hammering in her chest, something about his nearness made Kagome _need_ to continue the argument. It was a compulsion. A smirk lifted the corners of her mouth.

“You’re jealous.”

For a heartbeat, Inuyasha didn’t say anything, just continued to glare at her. Finally, he looked away, moving back a little.

“I am not.” He tried to sound like he was ridiculing her, but it came out weak.

“Yeah, you are. You’ve wanted me from the start.”

“Maybe I did, but not anymore. Not now, after everything.” Settling back in his seat, his face took on the stony look that she knew meant he was going to ignore her.

Even though she was more than certain he was lying, Kagome was offended and hurt. He’d given her so much confidence and then he’d taken it back. Was there a way to get it back again? Undoing her seatbelt, she crawled into his lap before he could stop her.

“I see how you look at me,” she murmured, face hot. It was weird addressing his feelings, which she shared, in a way that was not at least partially a joke. “I’m not stupid, Inuyasha.” It seemed impossible not to kiss him in that moment, and so she did it.

Inuyasha turned his face away. “No.” His voice was small and bitter.

“Go ahead, Inuyasha!” Her anger rose and she grinded herself against him, reminded she wasn’t wearing any panties when she felt him twitch underneath her. “You’ve wanted this from day one and now I’m giving you permission.” Taking his hand, she slipped it under her dress and brought it to her breast.

When he squeezed her just a tad too hard to be pleasurable, she knew she was in trouble.

With fierce eyes, he glared at her, breathing hard through his nostrils. Kagome realized he’d been controlling himself but now she’d shattered that. The hand that wasn’t now freeing her breast from the cup of her bra brought her head down for a hard kiss, taking her mouth hungrily, angrily. There was no one and nothing to stop them this time, and a thrill ran down her spine. Her two trysts with the women whose faces she was already forgetting were nothing but foreplay. This, here and now, with Inuyasha, was the real deal.

“I want it,” she whimpered, hips bucking, attempting to ride his constrained cock, wanting to feel it inside her. “I want you.”

Inuyasha moaned and kissed her again, sucking and biting her lower lip, drawing her tongue into his mouth and sucking it, filling her entire body with a burning desire. His hands were roaming now, finally settling on her ass, squeezing the flesh, thumbs stroking her through the clingy thin cotton of her dress. With the incessant movement of her hips, the material rode higher and higher, and finally Inuyasha had had enough of her teasing seduction and in one swift movement had her dress off her body and somewhere in the seat behind them.

Now just in her bra, Kagome was suddenly cold. The sensation didn’t last long as Inuyasha’s mouth was suddenly on her breast, sucking her hard through the black mesh lace. Panting now, she arched her back into his mouth, her hands lost in his hair, pushing him onto her. When her bra cup was soaked through, he pulled back and, with a couple flicks of his claws, tore her bra from her. His scorching mouth was against her bare breast at last, sucking her nipple and nibbling it, moaning against her skin. Wanting to feel more of him, Kagome began blindly unbuttoning his shirt, breath quickening with each newly revealed bit of his golden skin that she could see only with her fingers. He switched back and forth between her breasts, hugging her to his face.

Releasing her swollen red nipple with a pop, he leaned back and Kagome feasted both her eyes and hands on his muscled torso. Figuring it was her turn to taste him, she began to kiss and lick his chest. Impatient, he tugged her back up and kissed her again, one hand on her ass as the other undid his pants. No sooner than she heard the zipper go down did she have him in her hand, pumping and squeezing him. He was soft skin over hard flesh, like the rest of him. When the throbbing between her legs became almost unbearable, she lowered herself down on him. Wet as she was, it was still a tight fit, and the two of them breathed in hard, irregular puffs trying to fit him all the way inside.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he chanted, pupils dilated as he watched her almost completely envelop him.

At the same time, she chanted, “Yes, yes, yes!”

Kagome sighed and Inuyasha groaned when he was fully seated within her, a perfect fit. Hands on her hips he helped her rock and raise her hips and come back down, soon finding a rhythm that made his eyes cross and close. Not able to keep himself in the dark for long, he forced them open again, watching her fuck herself using his cock, breasts jiggling, large and full with nipples still hard and straining. Kagome nearly screamed when he took one in his mouth again, the dual pleasure too much for her to absorb in the moment. His earlier treatment of her breasts had left her incredibly tender, and even a small brush against them would have had her gasping. Kagome’s entire body heated up and she began to tremble. Feeling her tighten around him, Inuyasha brought his fingers down to where they were joined and rubbed them against her clit with fast, unforgiving movements. At the same time, he bucked up into her, hitting a spot she hadn’t known existed.

“Inuyasha!” Kagome thought she screamed, but she’d only done a little more than mouth his name, fireworks exploding in her brain and throughout her entire body. Her orgasm was prolonged by him continuing to pump into her, pushing her against the steering wheel as he took her, not caring the horn was blaring into the night. Her entire body was shaking uncontrollably and so she wrapped herself around Inuyasha as he finished inside her, embracing him so closely she could almost believe that old Greek story about people originally being made with four arms and legs and a head with two faces…

That was the last thing she remembered before she fell asleep, body warm and buzzing with pleasure, head nestled on Inuyasha’s shoulder.

 

 

 


	12. Young and Insecure

**Twelve: Young and Insecure**

**(Hatefuck by Cruel Youth)**

When the sun woke her up, she was still in Inuyasha’s lap, still in his arms, still wrapped around him, still naked. He was staring at her, with his eyes brighter than the morning sun, but it was like there was a shade drawn behind them as soon as she looked up.

“You mind getting back in your seat? I’m gonna get you some clothes.”

Feeling numb, she nodded and slid back to the passenger side. With steady hands and averted eyes, he fixed his clothing and got out of the car, going to the trunk. When he came back, he tossed a t-shirt and jeans at her. There were no underclothes included and Kagome didn’t feel strong enough to ask him for them. Something had changed between last night and this morning. Of course sex changed things, she told herself as she finished dressing, a difficult task in the confined space, but a glance at him told her this wasn’t a good change. He wasn’t teasing her, he hadn’t kissed her.

Inuyasha was acting like it hadn’t even happened.

If it weren’t for the circles under his eyes, he would have seemed completely unaffected. Had he even slept last night? Biting her lip, she forced herself not to cry as the half-demon turned the radio up and pulled back onto the freeway. They only drove for about an hour before he pulled off and took them to a small diner, another greasy spoon type of place. Her feelings were boiling inside her and when they sat down and he didn’t scoot in as close as possible to her, she couldn’t prevent herself from speaking anymore.

“Why are you acting like this?” she hissed, eyes moist. The place was crowded so she couldn’t yell at him like she desperately wanted to. Had he planned ahead for that?

He took a sip of coffee before answering. “Because. It wasn’t right.”

“What do you mean it wasn’t right?” she scoffed. “Of course it wasn’t _right_ , we have the same m—”

“That’s not it.” His eyes flashed with something but he still wasn’t meeting her eyes, just staring somewhere above them, like the top of her forehead. “It’s just… What we did was fucking. We _fucked_.”

“I know, I was there too.”

At her snotty attitude, he slammed his mug down, droplets splattering on the table. “But that’s not how it was supposed to be!” he said, voice firm but restrained. “You were a virgin, Kagome. And you just threw it all away like it was nothing. That’s not how your first time was supposed to be.”

The tears came before she even noticed. Shocked, she just stared at the milky brown droplets staining the surface of the table. He thought she’d thrown herself away? What had happened last night was different for her. It was amazing and had been coming for far too long. That her first time was with Inuyasha was what made it special, not how it was or where it was or why it was. Just that it _was_.

“So you really do think I’m a slut?” Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. Anything more would have her sobbing.

He said nothing.

She couldn’t eat for the rest of the day.

**O\o/O**

When a week had passed and she still hadn’t communicated to him in anything but grunts and shrugs, he seemed to be feeling a little guilty. It wasn’t enough for her, though. If she’d been a different type of girl, she would have gone running back home, but he was still her escape from that and she wasn’t going to reverse her progress. Even if she spent half of every night crying and he even bought them separate rooms now, she was even more set on her plans than before. At least he’d broken things off with her before they could even get going. Kagome didn’t even want to think of how much it would have hurt if he’d said the same thing after the trip, or after a few more sweet nights. As it was, she’d felt like she was dying. It got better bit by bit, though, and she felt that as soon as this nightmare of a road trip was over and done with, she might even be back to her old self in a few years.

“I’ve got a surprise for you,” Inuyasha said softly, pulling into a nightclub parking lot.

Kagome didn’t even turn her head to acknowledge him, just glared at the neon lights. If he thought taking her to a real nightclub instead of a shitty bar was going to make her forgive him for what he’d done, then he was an even bigger idiot than she’d thought. The club was called _BIG and BAD_ , the bold red letters making her roll her eyes. Not wanting to be left in the car in a place that could possibly be dangerous, she following Inuyasha inside, slapping his hand away when he grabbed her wrist in an attempt to steer her.

The half-demon blazed a trail through the swarming, squirming mass of humanity and demonity that made up the main dance floor, going through a door she hadn’t seen at first since it blended in perfectly with the dark purple wall, and then up a hidden set of plain concrete stairs. Wondering what the surprise could be, Kagome followed after him. They came to a stop in front of a door that looked like any fire escape exit and she quirked a brow. He pushed right through it, holding the door open for her like a gentleman and not the unforgivable asshole he was.

“I’m assuming you got my calls and heard my message even though you never picked up, Kōga,” Inuyasha said, glaring at the big chair with its back to them.

The chair turned and revealed a glaring demon. “Inuyasha.” He said his name like it was trash. “What the fuck is it you want?”

“First, show me your respect.” Without shame, the half-demon began undoing his jeans.

Kagome cringed and raged internally. Was this supposed to be her surprise? Gods, when he was finished here, she was going to—

A roar of laughter shocked her.

Kōga was slapping his desk in amusement. “Holy shit, have people really been letting you get away with that? Fuck no, I ain’t sucking your dick, dumbass! Do it yourself.”

Kagome giggled at the shocked look on Inuyasha’s face, zipper still gaping open. The demon’s attention suddenly shifted to her and without her even seeing him move he was standing in front of her, holding her hands in his.

“And what is your name, my beautiful flower?” His expression, his eyes, even his voice were different. She was uncomfortably reminded of those old Pepé Le Pew cartoons.

“Um, Kagome.”

A low growl sounded from Inuyasha but he did not interfere. “Just tell me where Byakuya of the Dreams is, fuckface.”

Without looking away from her or backing up until he was standing at a reasonable distance, Kōga replied, “That petty loan shark that used to live around here?”

“Used to?” Inuyasha frowned. “Yeah, he’s that guy that preys on people when they’re out of luck and sends them an invitation saying he’ll make their dreams come true.”

Kōga glared at him. “Don’t go lookin’ for him. It’s dangerous.” One of his hands released hers and before she could even breathe a sigh of relief he was stroking her hair, a wolfish grin spreading on his face. “I don’t trust you to protect Kagome properly. I’ll tell you, but only once you take me with you.”

Inuyasha barked out a laugh. “No way in fucking hell!” Grabbing her by the wrist, he yanked her back to him, away from Kōga.

Eyes shrewdly studying the two of them, the demon leaned against his desk. “I doubt anyone else can tell you where he is. Byakuya used to give me a cut of the profits when he lived here and he still does. I know right where to find him. Matter of fact, I was just there last week. So what’s more important, finding Byakuya or having Kagome all to yourself?”

After a couple seconds, Inuyasha released her wrist. Without a look back at her, he nodded. “Fine.”

It hurt. Kagome hadn’t thought he could still hurt her more, but he did.

Kōga grinned wide enough to expose his fangs, pressing a button on his desk. A redheaded demon woman came into the office, dressed like a pinup fetish secretary. Her green eyes were only for her boss, and she wiggled over to him.

“Ayame, it’s over.” Inclining his head towards her, he said, “I’m with Kagome now.”

The secretary left the room sobbing, slowly hobbling in her high heels and wiggle dress back out of the room. Kagome gaped at him. Was he crazy? And what was wrong with Inuyasha? He hadn’t even said a thing!

With a roll of his eyes, the half-demon said, “You done? I wanna get back on the road.”

Kōga ignored him. Putting an arm around Kagome, he opened the door and led her out, taking a back exit instead of leaving through the club, which she was grateful for as she had no desire to go back into that loud mess. Part of her allowed the strange demon to touch her because she hoped Inuyasha would be jealous, but the other part was just flattered. It felt a little bit like it had when Inuyasha had first come into her life what seemed like so long ago, right before the start of the summer. Were all demons so focused when it came to pursuing the women they were attracted to?

She’d been sitting in the backseat ever since the terrible morning after, and of course her new demon friend crawled in next to her, buckling himself into the middle seat, smiling like he wasn’t freaking her the hell out. With a single glare at them in the rearview mirror, Inuyasha started the car, grumbling to himself things she couldn’t hear over the sound of Kōga’s mouth breathing.

“You got a boyfriend?” he asked, the side of his body pressed against hers. “Better end it now. It’s not pretty when they find out later.”

Kagome cleared her throat and attempted to shrink further back against the car door. “Uh, why are we trying to find Byakuya of the Dreams?”

“It’s a secret,” Inuyasha grit out.

It gave her a thrill to hear him grind his teeth. She hoped it was over her and Kōga and not the bad traffic they’d just encountered.

“Once we find Byakuya, I’ll take you out to dinner,” Kōga promised.

She tried to make a noise that made it seem like she was vaguely interested, but he was so not who she wanted to hear that from.

“Would you prefer human marriage or a mating first?” He continued without giving her time to do more than give him a horrified stare. “It’s fashionable for people to do the wedding and then the mating, but I wanna see you wearing my mark as you walk down the aisle. We’ll have to wait until my divorce goes through, but we can still plan now.”

Kagome tried to remember what she’d heard in school on how to jump out of a moving car and land without dying if you were kidnapped.

“ _ARE WE GOING THE RIGHT FUCKING WAY_!?” Inuyasha yelled back, obviously wanting to say something else but not wanting to lose his guide.

The demon leaned his head back and smirked at him. “Yeah, but we should probably stop at a hotel for the night in a couple hours. Then it’s only a couple more hours and we’re there.”

“Can you just write down the directions and give them to me?” Inuyasha asked, obviously faking cordiality. Kagome shook her head. Why he thought that would work after yelling for no reason was a mystery.

“Like hell I’m giving you the chance to take off without me and my girlfriend!”

“I wouldn’t leave without Kagome, you dense moron! I’m doing this _for_ her.”

“What kind of asshole gets an innocent girl involved with a loan shark?”

“Just shut up!”

The rest of the ride was spent in silence on Inuyasha and Kagome’s part while Kōga chattered away to her, telling her his life story and describing his house and pets and income. When they finally got to a hotel, she practically ran outside, like a cat being freed from its carrier prison. Inuyasha was right along with her, and, unfortunately, Kōga. While Inuyasha got them their rooms, the demon took her hands again, staring into her eyes with sincerity.

“Kagome, I want you to know I am willing to take this as slow or as fast as you want. So if you want to share a room with me tonight, I won’t protest.”

“Already paid for three different ones, asshole,” Inuyasha grumbled, walking past Kōga, his shoulder knocking into the demon’s.

The elevator ride would have been more awkward if she wasn’t so emotionally and physically exhausted. All she wanted to do was curl up and pretend like the last week had never happened. Maybe even that the entire summer hadn’t happened. It was almost over, anyway. Sighing, she grabbed her keycard from Inuyasha and dumped her overnight bag of necessities in the room. However, even after a bath and hot tea and mind numbing television, she still couldn’t fall asleep. Frustrated, she wondered when the last time was that she’d had a peaceful night of slumber. Not since…

Before she could reason with herself as to why this was the worst idea she’d ever had, Kagome walked to Inuyasha’s room, the one to her right. Softly knocking, it suddenly occurred to her that Inuyasha might be asleep already. As though he’d been waiting, the half-demon opened the door. Wearing nothing but a towel, he just stared at her, his body blocking the entrance. Her shyness evaporated and suddenly something else took its place. Heat. Kagome remembered what it was like to feel him inside her and she wanted nothing more than to feel it again. How long had she craved it, suffered without it? To have only had him once was worse than not at all.

Unafraid, she put her palms on his chest and shoved him as hard as she could. Not expecting it, he took a few steps back, allowing her to enter the room. Closing the door behind her, they stood still and stared. She wondered if he felt even close to how she was feeling.

“I’m not used to sleeping alone anymore,” she murmured, approaching him.

“Kagome, you need to leave.” His words were firm but the look on his face was pained, giving her the courage to put her arms around him.

“What did I do wrong?” she asked, voice catching. “Was I not good enough? Did you not like it?”

“That’s not it.” Inuyasha’s voice was so tender that she didn’t feel embarrassed that she was crying a little.

“Then what?”

It took her only a second to realize he didn’t plan on answering her. Frustrated, she wound her arms around her neck and got on her tiptoes, telling him with a kiss how much he’d hurt her and letting him know there was a way to make it better. After a little while, he was kissing her back, his mouth just as consuming and passionate as she remembered. He was holding her so close to him that she almost had trouble reaching down and ridding him of the towel, stroking his hard length.

“Please, Inuyasha. I miss being close to you.”

Panting, he continued to kiss her, hot lips moving down her throat. Smiling, she pressed herself into him further.

“I knew you were just pretending not to want me.”

It was like she’d poured ice water on him. Inuyasha went completely still and then broke away from her, picking up the towel and wrapping himself again. Kagome couldn’t believe what had just happened. She could still see his hard outline, her fingers trembled and she wanted to reach out and touch him but the blank, cold look on his face prevented her.

“I think it’s in your best interest to stop whoring yourself out to anyone who’ll give you the time of day.” His voice was icy, his words a slap to her face.

She felt very hot and then very cold all over, faint. Absentmindedly, she wiped the hand that had touched him so lovingly on the side of her pajama pants. If only she could do that with her heart.

“You ruined my life,” she said in a quavering voice. Turning around, she ran out of the room, but not before she heard his whisper.

“I know.”

**Double update because I love you guys so much! Please check out my new story, Thy Thralldom Come, too. Happy St. Valentine’s Day!**


	13. Living an Illusion

**Thirteen: Living an illusion**

**(Runaway Runaway by Mars Argo)**

Kagome couldn’t sleep at all that night. What happened to make Inuyasha act that way towards her? She should be rejecting him, dammit! The damp pillow muffled her sob. Part of her wished he could hear so he knew what his words had done to her, how miserable they’d made her, like a physical blow to her heart. But if he could hear then Kōga probably could as well, and she could picture him, like a very persistent nightmare brought to life, clawing through her walls or breaking down her door just to “comfort” her with his unwanted romantic attentions. But why? Why had Inuyasha changed? What had she done?

The next day, she sat in the backseat again, too listless to feel anything but mild annoyance when Kōga sat next to her and started chattering about the rather explicit dream he’d had about her. His claws creeping up her arm in a way he must have thought was flirtatious rather than totally creepy brought her mind back from the void.

“As soon as this idiot dog’s dumb thing is over with, I would love to meet your parents.” Kōga’s voice was silky soft in her ear, attempting to be seductive even when his words were anything but. “I’d take you to meet mine, but I had to kill my old man to gain his territory and my Ma’s still mad about it.”

Inuyasha’s ears perked up in a way that made Kagome want to play along.

“Sure!” she said brightly, forcing sunshine into her voice. “My parents will be thrilled that I finally met a decent guy, and all thanks to their son.”

“I can’t wait to smell your bedroom.”

It was a struggle, but she kept smiling. “And I can’t wait to see you smelling my bedroom.”

The wolf demon pounded his fist into the leather seat next to him. “Damn! It’ll have to wait a week after the mutt’s finished. There’s still divorce paperwork to be done and some things at the club I need to oversee before I ask your father’s permission for your hand.”

Kagome could hear their driver grinding his teeth.

“No matter how long it takes, I swear I’ll wait for you!”

“Kagome,” Kōga said passionately, eyes boring into hers. His hands gripped her own so tight she was regretting overdoing it. “I can’t bear to be without your scent for as long as that. Can you give me a memento? A lock of hair, a handkerchief, the panties you’re wearing…”

The car braked to a hard stop. Inuyasha was out in a flash and opened the door so quickly he almost snapped it off.

“You drive,” he said through clenched teeth, eyes hard as flint as he looked at the full demon.

He snorted. “Figures a half-demon would need help even doing something as simple as this.”

Internally, Kagome was smiling like a giddy child. It _worked_. Jealousy had shown Inuyasha the error of his ways and he was going to apologize to her and take her hands like Kōga had only in a much nicer way and they’d kiss and everything would be perfect and then—

Instead of doing any of that, Inuyasha crossed his arms and immediately fell asleep.

Peeved, Kagome glared at his profile. Glaring turned to staring turned to admiring and soon she was sighing at his strong jaw and straight, defined nose and high cheekbones. His eyelashes were thick and sooty black and fanned across his cheeks in a way that was almost feminine, a stark contrast to his wild brows. His lips were full and a dark pink. Those lips had kissed her. Those lips had told her things his voice hadn’t. Those lips had enslaved her. Forcing her eyes away when they began to blur, Kagome realized something. Looking at him _hurt_. Physically. Spiritually. Emotionally. It hurt. Her heart was aching for him.

When the tears she hadn’t allowed to fall were reabsorbed, she realized they had arrived in a very seedy neighborhood, the kind she’d only seen mimicked on television programs she’d skipped through on her way to reality shows and cartoons. Where the hell were they and for the love of the gods why!?

“I ain’t goin’ in there,” Kōga said as they rolled to a stop. Narrowing his eyes, he continued, “You better have a good reason for this. Kagome doesn’t belong anywhere near here.”

Inuyasha’s eyes opened, treating her to their golden blaze. “Come on, Kagome.”

She clenched her jaw at being beckoned like a dog. “Why?” she asked belligerently.

“’Cause it’s important.”

Instead of trying to convince her, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the car after him. Kagome had it so bad that she relished even that contact. It wounded her deeply when he let go of her as soon as they entered the apartment building with the broken front door. Since it was so dangerous, shouldn’t he be holding her? Protecting her? Like he had before? But he just walked on ahead of her like he didn’t notice she was still there. They walked all the way to the back of the smelly building with trash littering the hallways. At apartment number 17, they stopped and Inuyasha knocked on the door hard enough to rattle it, denting it in the center. Kagome gulped. It was metal.

The sound of many locks being undone made her want to run away, but she didn’t want to be even an inch away from Inuyasha. Finally, the door opened, but only the tiniest bit, held to the frame by a chain. It was too dark for Kagome to see inside, but the smell that drifted out into the hall was less than pleasant, even by the dirty hallway’s standards.

“You Byakuya?”

“Why?” The voice was male.

“I gotta talk to you.”

The door shut in their faces. Inuyasha made a fist, either to knock again or punch through the door, but the chain being unlinked was audible and then it opened again. Now the lights were on and she saw a very attractive, if somewhat feminine, man. His eyes were so dark and looked almost purple.

“Come in,” he said, unusual eyes solely on Kagome. They raked over her and she felt violated. Dirty. “Is this a sale? Because I’m _very_ interested.”

Inuyasha bent down and got in the shorter man’s face. “That is your fucking _daughter_ , you piece of shit.”

Kagome suddenly couldn’t breathe. What was going on? What was Inuyasha saying? Her ears were ringing and she had to close her eyes briefly to stop the room from spinning.

Byakuya shoved the half-demon away from him. “If you’re here for child support you can just fuck right off!” he yelled. “That bitch should pay _me._ I’m why she fucking exists!”

Choking back a whimper, she took a shaky step away, wanting to put much more of a distance between her and that man. But she never could. He was a part of her. He was her father! Her hands clenched into fists and she wanted to scream, wanted to hit something. Someone. The words piled up in her throat and like vomit they were gushing out, burning her.

“I can’t imagine what Izayoi saw in you.” Kagome wished her voice was strong, but it was small and trembling. It was laughable.

And he laughed. Byakuya, her father, laughed. “It’s not like we were in a relationship. That rich bitch saw me on the street and invited me to an ‘audition’.” Grunting, he fished out a cigarette and lit it, blowing the smoke in her face and smirking when she coughed. “Thought it was for porn or something like usual, but she wanted a sperm donor. She was pretty fucked up. Said she didn’t want to ruin her figure getting pregnant but she wanted a baby girl. Already had an egg donor and surrogate lined up and everything. Like a kid that wanted a puppy, she just would not shut up and stop whining until I gave in. It was ‘baby shower’ this and ‘crochet booties’ that. Never thought I’d make 20k for jerkin’ off.”

“Baaabyyy,” a whiny voice came from somewhere deeper inside the apartment.

Out into the living room-cum-entranceway walked the most peculiar-looking demon Kagome had ever seen. It had bright red hair that looked almost like feathers spiked up at least ten inches, the tips scraping the ceiling. Its eyes were a burning crimson and devoid of both pupils and sclera. The robe it wore was leopard print and not all the way tied shut and the moment she noticed that was precisely when Kagome saw its massive dong just hanging there, right out in the almost open. So it was male.

“Suzaku,” Byakuya purred as his boyfriend snuggled up to him. “You should be in bed preparing yourself.”

“Are these our guests for tonight?” Licking his lips, he eyed Inuyasha lasciviously. “Very nice. But I thought we said no vaginas.”

Obviously not liking the way his partner’s dick was twitching at just seeing Inuyasha, Byakuya glared at them.

“You two need to go and fuck off before our friends get here. _Now_.”

The door shut and she mindlessly followed Inuyasha out of the building and into the car. Kōga was still in the front seat, eyeing them expectantly. Numb, she clicked her seat belt.

“Well, that was crazy,” Inuyasha said with a laugh.

The broken silence changed something inside Kagome and she began to hyperventilate, sobbing into her palms. When she felt the kindly hand of Kōga stroking her hair, she started to wail. He wasn’t the one she wanted to comfort her. The one she’d wanted to comfort her had just destroyed her. Gods, what had he been thinking? As if she wasn’t in enough agony over losing Shippo and him, now this was dropped on her! She always knew her dad wasn’t her real dad, but her mom was fake too!? And her real dad was that disgusting man. They shared DNA. No wonder Izayoi had never told her who her father was. She didn’t have to be capable of loving her to be capable of pitying her should she ever find out.

“I wish you never brought me here!” she sobbed, barely able to get the words out. “Fuck you, Inuyasha! Fuck you. I hate you! Toga is my father, not that asshole!”

Another hand twisted in her hair and forced her to look up and suddenly she was meeting Inuyasha’s eyes for the first time in too long. It was a shame his were so filled with rage.

“You were desperate for a father, Kagome. Toga wouldn’t give you the attention you wanted, so you came to me. And then I finally find your real dad and you give me this shit!” He growled and she flinched, suddenly scared of him. He released her. “You shouldn’t keep living a lie like you do. It’s pathetic. You’ve got Toga on a fuckin’ pedestal and he doesn’t even want you around. Fuck, he told me to do whatever I had to do to get you out of the house if you didn’t get into your shitty no-name school!”

Slamming the door, he left, running off into the bad neighborhood where he quickly disappeared in between narrow alleyways and abandoned shopping carts.

“That bastard!” Kōga hissed. “Don’t you worry, Kagome. As soon as he shows his face around us again, I’ll kick the demon out of him.”

“Can you please take me back to the hotel, Kōga?” she choked out. “And I… When we get there, I don’t want to be alone.”

Kagome didn’t think she had ever seen anyone move as fast as the wolf-demon did after that.

**ONLY 2 MORE CHAPTERS TO GOOO! And then on to the sequel!**


	14. Like It Doesn't Hurt

**Fourteen: Like It Doesn't Hurt**

**(Like it Doesn't Hurt by Charlotte Cardin)**

In case she didn't already know it, being alone with Kōga proved that she was being really, really stupid. But she had to know. The way Inuyasha was acting made her hate that she was attracted to him and more. Some teen magazines had informed her over the course of her life that having sex meant that chemicals would get released in her woman brain and she'd develop feelings she thought were love but were just a reaction. They made very clear that this was magnified when losing your virginity.

So maybe if she went ahead and had sex with someone else, that would break the spell and she could hate Inuyasha without it hurting. And maybe if she even managed to enjoy it, it would release different chemicals and prove to her she had never loved him in the first place.

But gods, did she wish there was anyone else available other than Kōga.

Why were all the men who were interested in her such freaks? Hojo was a lying, cheating homosexual she had devoted the last few years of her life to and pictured her future with. Then there was the peach guy, whom she'd rather forget about for the rest of forever. And Kōga was overly sexual and possibly even autistic with his lack of understanding of social situations. Finally, Inuyasha. There were too many things she could think of that made Inuyasha so crazy wrong for her. He was mean, a bigger pervert than Kōga, he'd made her boyfriend cheat on her with him, he'd almost gotten them arrested, he took away Shippo, they had the same freaking _parents_ —

Wait a minute.

Kagome was still in such shock from meeting her biological father that she still hadn't completely processed what he had said. Izayoi had not just gotten herself a sperm donor, but an egg donor and even a surrogate as well. That meant that the two of them weren't related. That meant that the biggest obstacle, which hadn't even been big enough to keep them from coming together, no longer existed, _had_ never existed.

Her heart was beating so fast and her head was spinning along with it. Her fingers clutched at the fabric over the left side of her chest as she tried to force herself to calm down and just breathe. This changed nothing. Things were still the same. Inuyasha was off who knows where, probably getting his dick sucked by another man, and she was alone sitting on her hotel room bed while Kōga "slipped into something more comfortable" (his words) in the bathroom.

The door opened and she was confronted with the sight of a naked wolf demon.

"I texted Inuyasha and told him to stop by my office and my entire tribe would submit to him," he snickered. "Idiot's gonna be there for a while. Probably won't figure it out for at least an hour. My wi—uh, secretary—will keep him in the waiting room."

The plan. She had to remember the plan.

Smiling at him in a way she hoped was welcoming, she tried not to stare at his giant erection. Holy hell, but he was giving Inuyasha a run for his money. While he was not as thick, he was maybe a good inch longer. Suddenly, she got a whole lot more nervous.

"Do you have your school uniform in your suitcase? I feel like something kinky."

Smile fixed on her face, she was fairly certain he couldn't tell that sentence of his had made her throw up in her mouth a little. Kagome shook her head and he sighed dejectedly.

"Why don't you show me just how big and bad you are, Kōga?" Her voice was breathy from sheer anxiety, but the look on his face showed he thought it was lust.

Kissing him was strange. The feeling of his tongue rasping against hers, his fangs pressing against her lips, didn't inspire that same sexy thrill of excitement that always came with Inuyasha, or even that tantalizing arousal like with Hojo. The only things she could feel were how very warm he was and how very uncomfortable it made her. Damn it, she had to focus! There were so many articles on faking orgasms, but how was she supposed to fake everything else?

"Your heart is beating so fast," he murmured, lips moving down to her pulse. "Feel me, I'm the same."

Kōga brought her hand down to wrap against his dick, and she just barely managed not to scream like a little girl and jump away. Instead, she closed her eyes and let herself feel him. Despite Inuyasha's regular exhibitionism, she'd never had the chance to just feel what this defining part of the male anatomy was like. And of course she had never gotten anywhere near Hojo's dick. In a way, this was a chance for a lot of firsts. Just because she was no longer a virgin didn’t mean she had any sort of idea of what it was that she was doing. To her surprise, he was throbbing in her hand, hard and hotter than anything. Was this what all men felt like? Was this what Inuyasha felt like?

Kagome moaned aloud at the thought, and the wolf demon continued to kiss her throat. His hands made quick work of her blouse and then she was left in just her bra and jean shorts. Kōga moved down to her navel and she watched in slight awe as he undid her shorts using only his tongue and teeth. Did she have reason to be impressed, or was that something everyone could do after a while? Could Inuyasha do that? Closing her eyes again, she replayed the moment in her mind, replacing the panting demon with a smirking half-demon.

"You're so wet," Kōga groaned in admiration, peeling her panties away. "This is going to be so great. I love you, Kagome."

In her mind, it wasn't him saying those things. "I love you, too," she whispered truthfully to the man she saw, the one who had ruined her life and given her a better one. Kagome could feel the breath on her inner thighs and every part of her was straining, waiting for the contact that would allow her to have control again.

"What the _fuck_!?"

Kagome opened her eyes. What the fuck, indeed. "I-Inuyasha?" Had she fallen asleep or was he actually standing there, glaring at the two of them, eyes filled with a murderous rage.

The wolf demon smirked and made everything so much worse. "You're back early. Care to go back out the way you came? Kagome and I are kind of busy."

Inuyasha's left eye and left ear began to twitch rapidly as he clenched and unclenched his fists and jaw. "Get out or I'll fucking kill you."

He snorted. "Like you fucking could. Come on, let's get this over with here and now. I have a woman to claim."

Kagome saw how serious Inuyasha was, how hard a time he was having controlling himself. A part of her wanted to see if they'd actually fight over her and what would happen, but the possibilities horrified her too much.

"Kōga, I think you should go." Her throat was tight and her voice came out gratingly. She felt like an idiot but at least she wasn't actually crying just yet.

"But Kagome—"

"Now."

The look on his face was heartbroken.

"Well. You know where to find me, I guess."

Were all demons so quick to become attached, like she had experienced with Inuyasha and the wolf, or was it just something wrong with her that made them act this way? Whatever it was, she couldn't deny how her entire chest hurt as she watched the demon she had been using walk away, picking up his clothes and slipping on only his jeans before closing the door behind him. That last glance of his made her feel like the worst person on the planet.

As was typical, Inuyasha immediately began to yell at her. "What the fuck was that!? I leave for not even an hour and you're about to fuck someone you hardly even know? Did you fuck him already, Kagome? Did you fuck him last night after you came to me? I should have killed him. I'm going to fucking kill him!"

The dam finally broke and tears rushed down her face. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry to him and I'm sorry to you. I don't like Kōga at all and I was still going to have sex with him. You were right. I really _am_ a whore."

What she didn't expect was for Inuyasha to sit down next to her and envelop her in his arms. "Fuck, Kagome, don't say that. You're not a whore, I'm just an asshole. And a total fucking idiot." He sighed and held her a little tighter. Grateful for his presence, she snuggled into him. He felt so good, smelled so good. "You need to know. I... The reason why I took you on this trip isn't because Father asked me to. Kagome, I wanted you from the first time I saw you. I didn't know anything about what that guy said about the egg donor and everything. I just wanted you. So fucking bad. I even... Fuck, Kagome, I'm a sick bastard. You got into your school. I faked the letter that said you didn't."

Not even a bombshell like that could disturb the peace she felt by being in his embrace. "I don't care. I don't care about school or parents or anything but you."

His claws dragged through her hair, stopping every now and then to massage her scalp. It was such a small, intimate thing that it brought new tears to her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Kagome. If it wasn't for me you never would have met that asshole sperm donor. I honestly thought it would go differently. I thought it would make you happy."

"You make me happy. You always do," she murmured, bringing her head up from where it lay on his chest so she could look him in the eye. "I think I'm in love with you."

The half-demon looked distressed at her admission, but he didn't let her go. "This wasn't supposed to happen. We weren't supposed to feel this way."

"I love you," she said in her quietest voice, kissing him as softly as she could. If he pushed her away, she didn’t think she would be able to handle it. "I love you so much, Inuyasha." Straddling his lap, she kissed him until he surrendered and kissed her back. Winding her arms around his neck, she felt how he shuddered when her breasts pressed against his chest, separated from being skin to skin only by the thin material of his t-shirt.

Kagome didn't want to go too fast, didn't want to push him lest he reject her again. But she just couldn't help how her hands wandered under his shirt, her fingertips ghosting along his skin, eager and timid all at once. His muscles twitched at her touch and he stopped kissing her. For a moment, they just stared at one another, him breathing hard through his nose and her not breathing at all, then he erupted in movement. Clawing his shirt off, he flung it somewhere across the room before pinning her down on the bed. She wanted to say something, anything that would finally let him know just how much she loved him, but there wasn't a chance to even think the words up, let alone say them, with how furiously and thoroughly he was kissing her.

The fiery trail his lips made down her body had her squirming in the most delicious agony of her life. Instead of lingering at her aching hard nipples like she expected him to do, Inuyasha passed them by with only a quick tweak with his fingers, continuing on his path until he was kissing her pussy. Kagome’s mouth fell open in a low moan as he tongued her down there just as passionately as he had her mouth. The tip of his tongue made teasing flicks against her clit as his fingers pumped and wiggled inside her. There was no way for her to control the movement of her hips, how they grinded against his face, seeking more from him, more of him. She was so slippery wet she could feel the mixture of her juices and Inuyasha’s saliva dripping down her ass and onto the sheets. Just as she thought that, Inuyasha followed the trail with his tongue, spreading her juices around her pink starburst while continuing to pump his fingers, thumb circling her clit. It was too much stimulation for someone with such little experience and Kagome came in an explosion of his name.

When she opened her eyes, all she could see was his smile, mouth shining with her orgasm.

“I don’t think that took even half a minute,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss her. She moaned as she tasted herself. “A new record.”

There wasn’t enough left of her brain to start sparring with him now. Tugging on his hair, she pushed his face down to her breasts. “Fuck me, Inuyasha. I need to feel you inside me again.”

An almost canine whimper was breathed over her right nipple. “Keep talking like that and I won’t last even as long as you did.”

His mouth engulfed the mountain peak of her breast and she threw back her head with the pleasure of it. All of her was still burning for more and her hands roamed the strong muscles of his back, pressing her fingers into him, feeling every contour, delighting in his warm realness. Still sucking and nibbling her nipples, switching back and forth, he grabbed her behind the knees and pushed her legs up. Little by little, he inched himself inside her, puffing his breath against her neck, trying to control himself and not blindly hammer into her. Kagome brought her hands to his ears and rubbed them, moving her hips to help him inside.

“You’re so tight,” he whispered, voice strained.

His left ear was twitching rapidly, right by her mouth. Turning her head the slightest bit, she captured it between her teeth and nibbled it gently, licking the small hurt she’d inflicted after.

“Fuck me until I scream, Inuyasha.”

With a full-body shudder, he did just that. Pulling out of her almost all the way, he slammed back inside. Kagome saw stars. His hips moved rapidly, shaking her, shaking the bed, shaking the room, shaking the world. His face was pressed even more into her neck and she could feel his lips moving, but he wasn’t kissing her. He was saying something. A lot of somethings. The vibrations from his words added to the erotic experience and she wanted to hear him, wanted to know what he thought was so important. Wetness. His tongue? Or tears? There was no time for her to think it over because the tip of one of his claws was circling her areola and she knew the second he stopped teasing her there that it would be over for her and probably for him too. Then his mouth covered hers, he caught one nipple between two knuckles and squeezed, and gave one last giant thrust as her world came apart at the seams.

Inuyasha swallowed her cries, one after another, and kissed the tears of passion from her face, polluted with mascara as they were. Still connected, they lay panting together, entwined in more ways than just the physical. Kagome wanted to have this moment forever, to come back to it again and again, her own precious little world away from the harsh outside world.

“I really, really, really love you, Inuyasha,” she whispered when he finally slid out of her. “For real.”

He just kissed her. “I’ll clean you up. You’ll probably be a little sore, so just go to sleep.”

She smiled. Her very bones were humming with a musical happiness.

**O\o/O**

Kagome pretended to be asleep for as long as she could. Though she’d woken up before the sun rose, she was too excited to make a return to dreamland. Besides, she’d been dreaming about Inuyasha anyway. Why dream when she had the real thing right there next to her? It was so nice waking up in a warm bed next to the man of her dreams. Another memory she wished she could somehow save and experience over and over again.

Smiling, she could wait no longer. Wrapping herself around him as much as she could considering he was on his side facing away from her, Kagome kissed Inuyasha’s cheek over and over again, feeling his feathery lashes against her lips. Being the backpack wasn’t so bad, but next time she’d want to wake up in his arms.

His eyes opened. He didn’t move.

“What’s on the agenda today?” she murmured, kissing him some more.

Inuyasha shrugged her off. “Don’t you have to go back to school shopping or something?” He turned over, burying his head in the pillow.

Kagome had completely forgotten.

About their deal. About school.

Even though he had faked the entire thing just to get her to go on the road trip with him, she still had to go to school. Even though she wanted to stay with him, there were still things she needed to do. What else was her life for but reaching her goals? She wasn’t going to be like her mother and make a man her only destiny.

And he wasn’t asking her to stay, anyway.

Gods, but she was stupid. Kagome refused to cry and instead got out of bed and dressed for the day, eyes on the wall, not wanting to look at Inuyasha or any image of herself. It was as she had thought from the start. He’d just wanted to fuck her. And now he’d gotten what he wanted. Inuyasha had simply hired her for a good time and that was all. They were done. The more she thought about it, the more their special moments seemed ridiculous. So stupid. She was so damn stupid. How could she think that his eyes had been telling her things, that his kisses were secret messages? She had told him she loved him how many times and yet he had never said it back.

Kagome wanted to be angry, but she was just hurt.

Clearing her throat to make sure her voice wouldn’t come out high and tight, she said, “You promised me a paycheck.”

Without even taking his head up from the pillow, he grabbed his wallet from the nightstand and tossed it in her general direction.

Kagome opened it, then closed it again. Fuck him, she was taking all of it. Grabbing her bags, she walked to the door.

“Send my things to school. I want them there before I arrive.”

His muted grunt was the last thing she heard before she shut the door and walked as fast as she could to the lobby restroom, where she cleaned the tear tracks off her face and did her make-up alongside the rest of the women who had been hired to be someone’s temporary companion.

**Note: ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GOOO!!! And then the sequel, which will be from Inuyasha’s POV and even crazier. Honestly, I know I’m so bad, but like I was thinking of putting the sequel on hold for a little while and instead start posting a BRAND NEW STORY that I’m like super excited about. I like to have a few things going on at a time that I work on when I’m just not feeling my main focus (which now is Thy Thralldom Come). So if anyone is still reading this thing, tell me what you think.**

**Author's Note:**

> How's that for a rather fucked up beginning?


End file.
